Broken
by Silver Bee
Summary: Sometimes there's no happy ever after...
1. Chapter 1

_Back again with something a little different. I'm a bit nervous about this one..._

Chapter One

Alan couldn't remember ever having felt so terrified. Blasting off into space for the first time had come close, as had the time he'd been trapped in a collapsing building with tonnes of rubble about to bury him alive. He hadn't even felt this nervous when he'd made his first move on Tin-Tin. No, compared to this, those incidents were just minor worries. This... this was _serious._

He got up from Tin-Tin's bed and wandered over to look out of the window for a moment before returning to his original position, checking his watch for the hundredth time and wondering why she was taking so long. She must know what he was going through right now. But still she kept him hanging on. Was she deliberately trying to prolong the agony - or was she too scared to face him?

The bathroom door opened and the realisation that this was it, that there was no going back now, made Alan feel suddenly sick. Trying to read the expression on Tin-Tin's face as she took a step towards him proved impossible - her face was completely neutral, though Alan knew that she was really full of emotion but doing her best to hide it.

"Is it...?" he asked, his voice catching on the words. "Are you...?"

"Negative." Tin-Tin's voice was as impassive as her face.

There was no such restraint on Alan's part, however, as he flung himself at her, catching her up in his arms and swinging her around as he kissed her. "Thank God for that. You had me worried."

Tin-Tin said nothing, just moved away once he'd put her down, taking her own turn at looking out of the window.

"Tin-Tin?" Alan said, slowly, coming up to stand beside her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "That was the result you wanted, wasn't it? You didn't _want _a baby?"

Tin-Tin kept her back to him as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Tin? Come on, what would we do with a baby? Think of the problems it would cause. I mean, for a start, we'd have to get married- Oh..." He took his hands from her shoulders and backed away a pace or two, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. He didn't need this conversation, not when he was still trying to pull himself together after the stress of the past few hours.

"No, Alan, I didn't want a baby - not right now. But it's got me thinking."

"About us?"

"Yes."

Alan moved so that he could look into her eyes, reaching out to gently turn her face towards him when she tried to look away. "We're good, aren't we? I mean, we're happy, we're having fun. Why would you want to change anything?"

"I thought I was more than just a bit of fun for you, Alan," Tin-Tin said quietly, pulling away from him again.

"You are. You know you are."

"Am I? It's been two years now and nothing's changed since we first got together. You come to my room whenever you feel like it, but you sneak in during the night and you're always gone before breakfast. It's as if you're ashamed to be with me. And if I come to you, you send me away."

"Gordon's next-door. He teases me..."

"So move in here with me." She let out a bitter laugh at the look on his face. "You really don't want to make a commitment, do you? At least a baby would have forced you to do something."

"Grandma..."

"Would love us to be together. You know she would. So would our fathers. What's stopping you, Alan?"

What _was_ stopping him? It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it. There wasn't a single person in his family who hadn't asked him the same question at some point. He'd never given any of them a proper answer, informing them that it was nobody's business except his and Tin-Tin's. But, truth be told, he didn't really have an answer. It wasn't as though he hadn't thought about making the relationship official, but he couldn't help feeling that might take a lot of the fun out of it. Plus, he was well aware that his brothers, whilst not exactly jealous, certainly found it hard at times to see the couple together whilst they had no chance of sustaining a relationship. Maybe if he hadn't been the youngest it would have been easier, but settling down seemed like such a boring, grown-up thing to do, especially when you were an ex-racing driver, an astronaut and a member of International Rescue. But he could hardly tell Tin-Tin that.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you. I love you, you know that." At least he could say it now - it had certainly taken a while. He hoped the words would be enough - Tin-Tin usually softened when he told her that. But not this time. Instead she looked even more forlorn.

"I know you do. But I'm not sure it's enough, not anymore."

"Aw, Tin-Tin, come on. Don't look at me like that." Alan could hear the desperation in his voice but he couldn't - he _wouldn't_ - say what she wanted to hear, not when his heart wasn't in it. Not even to stop her crying. "Look, one day, maybe... I mean... I don't _want _anyone else, you know that. But why do we have to rush into anything? We're fine as we are, why can't we just enjoy ourselves? There's plenty of time for babies and all the other stuff."

Tin-Tin shook off the arm he attempted to put around her shoulders. "Leave me alone, Alan! I'm tired of all this. The thought of a baby terrified me, but if it meant you finally grew up and made a commitment to me then it would have been the best thing that ever happened to me. To both of us. You've got to grow up one day, you know."

"But I'm not ready..."

"No, you're not." She looked at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "But I am." She turned away from him. "Leave me alone, Alan."

"But-"

"Please... just go."

"Okay. But we'll talk properly later. When you're feeling better."

"Maybe. Get out, Alan."

Alan went.

First he went to his room, but that reminded him of one of Tin-Tin's complaints, so he took himself off to the games room. But after five minutes on his favourite racing game he found himself wondering if this was just an example of his apparent immaturity. Allowing his car to career into the wall of the track where it burst into flames, he put the controls down and made his way outside to the pool. Gordon was there, but he was well into his daily training regime and clearly not looking for conversation. That was just fine by Alan, so he sat himself down on a lounger and tried not to think about Tin-Tin. It didn't work.

The day had started so well - after a successful rescue the day before, they'd all slept late and Grandma had promised to prepare his favourite dessert that evening as a reward for managing to save two small children when all hope had seemed lost. But then Tin-Tin had cornered him looking worried. When she'd explained her situation he'd felt a surge of panic like nothing he'd ever known. Since she was busy working with Brains on some new machine and didn't want to draw attention to herself by disappearing with no good reason, he'd had to fly over to the mainland under the pretence of a sudden bout of toothache which necessitated an immediate trip to the dentist. Instead he'd picked up a pregnancy testing kit - one of the most embarrassing purchases of his life - and flown straight back, knowing that the whole course of his life depended on the results.

He'd never expected things to turn out the way they had - he'd thought that either he and Tin-Tin would have been celebrating their lucky escape, or trying to work out what to do now they had a baby on the way. To his surprise, Alan found himself wondering if it would have been better if the test had proved positive - at least then he'd still have his girlfriend.

"What's up, Al?"

Scott and Virgil. Great. The last people he wanted to see - or to talk to. He knew neither one would be fooled by the inane grin he plastered across his face as he insisted he was fine - just fine.

"Something's wrong," Scott said, sitting on the next lounger and leaning forward to look at Alan more closely. "What's happened?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone."

"Another fight with Tin-Tin?" Virgil asked, taking a seat the other side of him. He didn't sound particularly surprised, or concerned, knowing that Alan and Tin-Tin's relationship often went through rocky patches.

Scott took his youngest brother's silence for assent. "Cheer up, Al. Whatever you've done, she'll come round."

Alan sprang to his feet. "Why do you always assume it's my fault?"

"Because it always is," Virgil said, stretching out on his lounger.

"Well, thanks for the support, Virg."

"_Was_ it your fault?" Scott asked.

Alan sat heavily back down on the lounger. "Maybe... But I didn't mean it. It just happened."

"She'll forgive you."

"I'm not so sure. She - she thought she was going to have a baby."

This got Virgil's attention - his eyes snapped open and he sat up sharply. "Is she?"

"No. But that got her thinking about where we were going and, well, we ended up fighting."

"She wants things to move on a bit?"

"Yeah, but why rush into anything? Life's just great as it is, isn't it?"

"You didn't tell her that, did you?" the eldest Tracy asked.

"No wonder she's not happy," Virgil said. "It's been two years, Alan. Maybe you should-"

Alan couldn't take any more. "Oh, shut up, the pair of you! What do you know about relationships anyway? When was the last time either of you dated someone for more than a month? You have no idea what this is like - for either of us. Why don't you drop the wise-guy big brother act and just leave me alone?"

Any other time he'd have laughed at the dumbstruck expressions on his elder brothers' faces, but Alan was beyond being cheered up right now. He got to his feet and turned back to the house.

"Al?" Gordon had finished his workout and had just pulled himself out of the pool.

"You can shut up, too!" Alan informed him, mindful of Tin-Tin's comment about him not wanting her in his room and still harbouring what he knew to be a completely irrational resentment towards Gordon.

Gordon stared in surprise when his brother pushed past him, almost sending him back tumbling back into the water. He watched him storm down the steps towards the beach then turned to his older brothers.

"Another fight with Tin-Tin?"

"Yeah. Sounds serious."

"They always do, Scott. Until they make up half an hour later..."

"I'm not so sure this time," Virgil said.

"Really?"

"Baby scare."

"Wow."

"Big relationship talk by the sounds of it."

"Ah."

"I can just guess how Al handled that one," Scott said. "Might take longer than half an hour for them to make it up this time."

"But no baby?"

"No."

"Pity," Gordon said, drying off his hair then slinging the towel over his shoulder. "It would be fun to have a kid around the place."

"They couldn't stay here with a baby," Scott said.

"Why not?"

"It's not fair on the kid. Who's it going to play with?"

"Me," Gordon told him.

"Seriously, Gords. Kids need company their own age. You couldn't keep a child here all by itself - it wouldn't be fair on them. Alan and Tin-Tin would have to leave once the baby started to grow. Then where would International Rescue be?"

"They wouldn't have to leave," Gordon insisted. "They could take the kid over to the mainland to play. And for school, maybe."

"How's that going to work?" Virgil asked. "Okay, it would be fine for a year or two, but you can't expect a kid to keep a secret like International Rescue. What's going to happen the first time it gets into a fight over whose dad's the best?"

Gordon looked confused. "Why's that a problem? It wasn't for us."

"_My_ dad's a billionaire - _and _he's been to the moon..." Scott and Virgil chanted in unison. Gordon had to laugh.

"You're right, Gords," Scott told him. "We always won that one. But how's this kid going to react? _My dad's the best because he pilots Thunderbird Three_? Years of keeping our identity secret will count for nothing if it all comes out in some schoolyard spat. No, there's no way you could raise a kid on the island and still keep IR secret. Maybe it's just as well Tin-Tin isn't pregnant."

"Here she comes," Virgil announced. Scott and Gordon turned to look as Tin-Tin came over to them, their suspiciously innocent expressions not fooling her for a minute.

"Hi, Tin-Tin," Gordon said. "If you're looking for Alan he's gone down to the beach."

"I'm not."

The brothers exchanged glances, surprised by Tin-Tin's cool tone.

"Virgil, Brains would like you to join him in his lab. He's ready to run the simulation. Scott, your father wants to see you."

Without waiting for an answer she left them and made her way back to the house.

"Okay..." Gordon said. "Looks like things really are serious."

"Go and sort Alan out," Scott told him.

"Why me?"

"We're busy," Virgil told him. "Anyway, he's already told us what we can do with our advice. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Gordon didn't. Alan flatly refused to talk to him. Finally the redhead gave up, leaving his brother on the beach and making his way back to the house where he found his grandmother frantically dusting the piano.

"What's going on, Grandma?"

"Lady Penelope's coming to visit."

"Really? She hasn't been near the place for months. What's the occasion?"

"I don't know, dear. Some business with your father, I believe."

"Well, it will be good to see her. She hasn't seen New Four yet. Does Scott know she's coming?"

"Yes, he does."

"And?"

Grandma frowned at her grandson. "Gordon, leave him alone. Things were going so well between them but Scott says they've hardly spoken at all since that business with the McAllisters. I don't know what's going on, but don't you go getting involved."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, dear."

"Okay," Gordon agreed. "I haven't got the time, anyway. Scott's got me trying to sort Alan and Tin-Tin out."

"Oh dear. Again?"

"Yeah."

"I'm never going to be a great-grandmother, am I?"

Gordon had to turn away to hide his smile.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited or followed the last chapter, especially Whirlgirl (thanks for the Barclay story review too, by the way!) and Lilyzinha, who I couldn't reply to personally. The support means a lot. Bee_

Chapter Two

"T-Tin-Tin?"

Tin-Tin started in surprise at Brains' call. Her hand jerked, knocking over a jar of screws which scattered across the floor and she knelt down to pick them up, muttering something Brains couldn't quite catch as she did so.

He joined her on the floor. "I-Is everything o-okay? Y-You haven't b-been yourself t-today."

She forced herself to smile. "I'm fine, Brains. Just tired. I didn't sleep too well last night."

She certainly hadn't. She'd been exhausted after the stresses of the day, but, as she'd suspected he would, Alan had turned up at her door just as she'd got into bed. She'd already locked it and disabled the emergency override, so he was reduced to whispering his apologies through the door, but Tin-Tin was having none of it. She was determined not to speak to him - not even to tell him to go away - so she simply pulled her pillow over her head and tried not to think about him. It hadn't worked. After all her initial panic at the thought of a baby, she'd taken comfort in the certainty that despite his faults, Alan wouldn't let her down, allowing herself to entertain daydreams of a domestic idyll that she was usually realistic enough to laugh off. She knew full well that Alan wasn't really ready for such a step, but for a while it had been a real possibility and she was possibly more angry with herself for getting caught up in the idea than with him for failing to jump at the chance. Even so, now the issue was out in the open between them she wasn't going to take him back without getting some kind of commitment from him. She didn't want anyone else, she knew that for certain, but she wasn't going to let things carry on as they had for the past couple of years, not any more.

"W-would you like t-to take a b-break?"

"No, thank you, Brains. I really need to keep working. It takes my mind off... things."

"If there's a-anything I c-can do..."

She smiled at him as she dropped the last screw into the jar and got to her feet. "Thank you, Brains. But you can't help with this."

Brains couldn't help feeling relieved. This kind of thing just made him nervous. That was why he liked machines - they didn't do anything you didn't want them to. Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true - they had the habit of breaking down at inopportune moments, but they rarely broke your heart. He'd listen to Tin-Tin and make all the appropriate noises of sympathy - he'd done it often enough over the past couple of years - but he'd never feel truly comfortable. And he'd certainly never be able to push aside the familiar feeling that Alan really didn't deserve a girl like Tin-Tin, not when he continually failed to do the one thing he knew would make her happy.

Alan arrived at that moment bearing a tray of coffee and cake. Brains immediately tried to sidle into his office but Tin-Tin reached out and pulled him back, returning to her work without another word.

"Er... I brought coffee," Alan finally said, when the silence and Brains' embarrassed twitching had become too much for him to bear.

"So you did," Tin-Tin said, not bothering to look at him. Even so, the fact that these were the first words she'd said to him in nearly twenty-four hours, led Alan to take them as a sign of encouragement. He took a couple of steps closer until he was hovering behind her.

"Go away, Alan," she said, without even looking around.

"But..."

"We're busy. Your father wants this prototype working by the end of the week. He won't be happy if you're disturbing us."

"Tin-Tin..."

"I said, we're busy. Go and find something to do, Alan. If you don't have work to do then go and play your video games or something."

Brains shot a desperate look at his office, wishing he was there now. The long silence had been bad enough, but the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in the middle of a fight. But with Tin-Tin still keeping hold of his sleeve, there was no escape. He was aware of Alan's furious gaze, but before he could find a way to tell him that it wasn't his choice to be there, Alan gave in.

"Okay... Sorry to have bothered you."

Tin-Tin said nothing as he left, just letting go of Brains' lab coat and focusing her attention fully on her work again.

* * *

After a miserable morning spent wandering aimlessly around the silos, Alan decided that he needed help. There was only one person who could solve this problem, the one person who'd _always _ been able to make things right: Scott.

"I don't know, Alan," Scott said, once Alan had finished begging him to put a in good word with Tin-Tin. "Apart from the fact that I've got no experience in these matters..." He shot a withering glance at his youngest brother as he said this, gratified to see him blush. "It's really between the two of you. I don't think Tin-Tin's going to be persuaded by anything I've got to say. Not this time. Maybe Grandma?"

"Please, Scott... For me?" Alan knew his grandmother would be well and truly on Tin-Tin's side. She was the last person he wanted to discuss this with.

Scott sighed, his big-brother instincts taking over, even though he knew it was a bad idea. "Okay, I'll talk to her."

"Thanks, Scott. You're the best!"

"I hope so," Scott muttered to himself as he took himself off to Tin-Tin's room, hoping to catch her before she went down to lunch.

It didn't go well. Tin-Tin was furious that Alan, in what she saw as another sign that he'd yet to grow up, was relying on his big brother to solve his problems, but the fact that Scott of all people had the nerve to give her relationship advice just infuriated her even more. Virgil or John - even Gordon - would have got a polite but insistent refusal to discuss the matter. What Scott got was a ten-minute lecture on his own inadequacies when it came to understanding women. Poor Scott had no idea what she was talking about, though he couldn't get a word in edgeways to defend himself. In the end he allowed her to throw him out of her room, glad to get away but none the wiser as to what he'd done to upset her so much. Alan must have really hurt her this time, he decided, making a mental note to warn his other brothers to keep out of it unless they too wanted to face the wrath of Tin-Tin.

Lunch was a tense affair. Tin-Tin had taken Scott's usual seat next to Virgil, as far away from Alan as it was possible to get. Scott hadn't dared say anything, meekly making his way to the other end of the table. They'd all been relying on Lady Penelope's arrival to lighten the mood, but Jeff informed them that her flight had been delayed by mechanical problems and she wouldn't be arriving until the following day. Gordon had done his best to keep the conversation going, but his teasing of Scott over Penny had fallen flat. Tin-Tin had laughed so bitterly that they'd all felt uncomfortable and it was left to Jeff to fill the gap in the conversation with an account of Tracy Industries' latest financial reports. It was a relief to everyone when, just as Kyrano was about to serve dessert, John called in with details of a rescue.

It was a fairly straightforward matter, and, since it was in New Zealand, a relatively local one. A group of climbers had run into trouble on Mount Cook. As always, Jeff monitored the mission from his desk in the lounge. Grandma had Kyrano bring in coffee and asked Tin-Tin to sit with her for a while. The girl had been wary, expecting the old lady to try to defend her grandson, but Grandma had avoided all mention of Alan, instead seeking Tin-Tin's advice about a suitable gift for Kyrano's forthcoming birthday.

The women were still trying to come to a decision when the rescue began. Alan had volunteered to be the one winched down to pick up the climbers, retrieving the first four without incident. Tin-Tin had made sure to take a seat which faced away from the portraits behind Jeff's desk and she'd done her best to block out the sound of Alan's voice. But when Gordon suddenly yelled out Alan's name and the man himself announced with barely-controlled panic that the clip on his harness had failed and he was going to fall - this at a time when he was a hundred feet up in the air - she couldn't help but take notice, reaching out and gripping Grandma's hand tightly, barely daring to breathe as she waited to discover Alan's fate.

Scott and Virgil joined their father in demanding to know what was going on. There was a desperately tense silence for a moment before Alan's relieved voice announced that the rope had caught again and, despite a heart-stoppingly rapid drop of fifty feet or so, he was back in control. Gordon, his voice shaking, announced that he was winching him back in to change harnesses, informing the others once he'd broken off contact with his youngest brother that the incident had been one of the most terrifying things he'd ever witnessed, convinced as he was that Alan was about to fall to his death.

Tin-Tin realised she was staring at Alan's portrait. Aware that both Grandma and Jeff were watching her, she mumbled something about Brains needing her help before practically running out of the room. She didn't go to the lab though, instead heading for her room where she threw herself on the bed and tried to make sense of her conflicting emotions. Relief that Alan was safe and well overwhelmed her and for a while she wanted nothing more than to tell him that, but then she remembered how unhappy he'd made her with his lack of commitment and she knew that if she gave in now she'd never get what she wanted from him.

* * *

Alan had been hoping that Tin-Tin would be waiting for Two's arrival, ready to throw herself into his arms and beg him to take her back, but he was disappointed. Only his father was there, demanding to know what had gone wrong and insisting his sons check every harness before they shut down Thunderbird Two. Alan had left his brothers to it, intent on finding Tin-Tin, but he'd been caught by his father, who had stopped him, warning him to give the girl some space. After all, he pointed out, if she wanted to find him, she could. Alan had protested, but Jeff had stood his ground and sent his son back to Two to help his brothers. Alan hadn't been happy.

Tin-Tin had continued to avoid Alan, still unsure as to her best course of action. After dinner - another quiet meal - she made to leave the room but was cornered by Grandma.

"I wonder, dear, would you like to watch a movie with me tonight?"

Tin-Tin considered this for a moment, wondering if this was Grandma's way of getting her alone for a talk. But even as she started to shake her head, Grandma smiled at her.

"I mean a movie, Tin-Tin. No conversation. And no Alan, either - he's got some work to do on Thunderbird Three, I believe. I've got a box of those chocolates you like so much left over from my birthday..."

Tin-Tin gave in. At least it would take her mind off things for a while. "Very well, Mrs Tracy, I'd like that."

"Come along, then, dear." Taking Tin-Tin's arm she led the girl down to her room.

Tin-Tin couldn't deny that Grandma had been right when she'd said there'd be no conversation, but it was clear she'd thought this one through carefully. The movie she'd chosen was _Love Story_ - the eighth remake, widely regarded as the best since the original. Tin-Tin would have preferred something with a little more action - the last thing she wanted right now was to watch other people fall in love, but the chocolates were a big temptation and Grandma had been so pleased to have some female company.

Two hours later, two tearful women made their way back to the lounge.

"That was mean, Mrs Tracy," Tin-Tin said. "And it's not going to work. If I didn't take Alan back after he nearly died, I'm hardly going to fall into his arms again just because of that film."

"I suppose not, dear. But I do want you two to be happy and life's too short to fight, you know."

"I know. But it's too short to waste time trying to work out if you want to be with someone. If he doesn't know how he feels by now then maybe he never will."

"He does want to be with you, dear."

"I know, but only on his terms. He- Oh..."

The lounge - lit only by candles - was full of flowers. Virgil, trying not to sneeze since the piano was covered with lilies, was playing some romantic melody.

Immediately seeing what was going on, Tin-Tin turned to leave, but Grandma, showing surprising strength for a woman of her age, caught her hand and held her in place.

"I don't..."

"Yes you do," Grandma said. "You know you do."

Alan appeared at the door. "Tin-Tin? Can we talk?"

"Does my father know you decimated his flower garden?"

"The flowers were his idea."

"Oh..."

"Do it for me, dear," Grandma whispered. "I'm an old lady. I could die in my sleep tonight without having the peace of mind of knowing that you two made up."

"That's not fair."

"I know. Now, go on, dear." Grandma pushed her towards Alan before nodding to Virgil who left the piano, pausing only to turn on a recording of Tin-Tin's favourite music which he'd made earlier, before joining his grandmother and the rest of his brothers on the balcony.

"Well?" Gordon asked.

"She's still there," Virgil said.

"Good," Scott announced. "Tin-Tin's been kind of weird today. I really hope they make it up."

"They better had," Gordon said. "After the stunt Alan pulled this afternoon I hate to think what he'll do if this doesn't work."

"What about this afternoon?" Scott and Virgil spoke in unison, identical looks of suspicion on their faces.

"Alan didn't have a problem with his harness," Gordon said slowly. "He let the rope out deliberately. He knew Tin-Tin was in the lounge and he had some crazy idea that if she thought he was about to die she'd forgive him and everything would work out."

As he'd expected, his brothers and grandmother were furious. He was quick to tell them that he'd known nothing about it until his brother had confessed everything when he'd been brought up to change harnesses. "Don't worry," Gordon told them. "I made sure he knew how stupid he'd been. If I hadn't been shaking so much I think I would have punched him."

"I might just do that," Scott growled. "Knock some sense into the little-"

"Scott!"

"Sorry, Grandma, but what was he thinking? He must have known what he was putting us through."

"I know. But people do stupid things when they're in love. I'll talk to him."

"If Tin-Tin finds out she'll never forgive him," Virgil said.

"So we have to make sure she never finds out," Grandma told him. She looked sternly at each of her grandsons in turn, nodding in satisfaction as they promised not to say anything.

Gordon had moved back to the window. "They're still talking," he announced.

Five minutes later, Virgil went over to take a look. "They're holding hands," he told them, much to Grandma's delight.

When Gordon went to check on the pair a few minutes later he found that the lounge was empty. "Our work is done," he informed them.

"Well done, boys," Grandma said. "Now then, Scott, about Penny's visit..."

* * *

Alan led Tin-Tin back down the corridors to the living quarters. "This way," he told her as she went to take the stairs which led to her room.

"Your room?" she asked in some surprise. "What about Gordon?"

"What about him?"

Tin-Tin slipped her hand in Alan's as they headed to his room. Though once they were inside, she couldn't help wishing they'd gone to her quarters after all. Alan had clearly had help setting up the lounge, since his own room looked anything but romantic. Grandma might have cleaned it that morning, but Alan had still managed to turn it upside down when he'd changed for dinner.

Alan looked around in dismay. "I guess I should have tidied up but I was busy trying to work out how to get you to talk to me again. I'm sorry, Tin. Maybe we should go to your room instead?"

Tin-Tin plucked a discarded gym sock from the pillow, dropping it onto the floor as she turned to face him. "We're not going anywhere," she told him as she pulled him towards her.

* * *

The next day, after lunch - another awkward meal, though this time because Alan and Tin-Tin couldn't keep their hands off each other - Scott, Virgil and Gordon sat on the balcony and looked out at the beach where the reunited couple were walking hand-in-hand.

No one said anything. They didn't need to - they were all thinking the same thing.

As Tin-Tin and Alan stopped to kiss, Virgil sighed and got to his feet. "Guess I'll go and get that oil change on Firefly done. You guys want to give me a hand?"

"Sorry, Virg," Scott said, casting another glance out at the beach before getting up himself. "I'm flying out to pick Penny and Parker up later. Gords will help, though."

Gordon got up from his chair. "Maybe later." He yawned. "I'm going to take a nap first. Didn't get too much sleep last night..."

As their younger brother went back into the house, Virgil and Scott took one last look at Alan as he pulled Tin-Tin into the trees which lined the beach.

"I need to get off this island," Virgil muttered.

"You and me both."

"What about Penny?"

Scott sighed. "Will you stop going on about that. We're-"

"Just friends. So you keep saying."

"So take my word for it. Anyway, she's seeing someone."

"She is?"

"Yeah. Some lord or other. She didn't stop talking about him when she called with the new flight details."

"You okay with that?" Virgil asked, searching his brother's face intently. The two didn't keep many secrets from each other but Virgil had never been able to discover exactly what was going on between his brother and Lady Penelope.

"There's nothing to be okay about. We were never involved, Virg. It was fun to pretend to you guys that we were, but we really are just friends."

"Oh. Grandma's going to be disappointed."

"Yeah. But look on the bright side, maybe she'll get rid of that stupid wedding photo now."

"Maybe. Or maybe she'll see it as a challenge. I mean, she sorted Alan and Tin-Tin out. Good luck, Scott." With a final glance in the direction of the beach he took himself off towards Two's hangar. Scott wasn't long in following him off the balcony. Right now he envied Alan and Tin-Tin more than he could say.

* * *

Later that evening, Alan sought out his father in his office.

"Dad, I was wondering if Tin-Tin and I could have some time off."

Jeff looked up from his laptop and frowned at his son. "It's a busy time, son."

"Yeah, but you could spare us for a week or so, couldn't you?"

"Possibly. When were you planning on taking this vacation?"

"Next week..." Alan fixed his most winning smile in place and turned all his baby brother charm on his father. But the smile faltered as Jeff sat back, shaking his head.

"Not possible, I'm afraid. Virgil has already booked that week. He came to see me this afternoon."

"Oh. The week after, then."

"Sorry, that's Scott's. He turned up just after Virgil."

"Okay... How about-"

"Gordon. Then John."

"_All _of them? Why now? They never take any leave."

"I think that's part of the problem, Alan."

"Well, never mind, I'll just get one of them to swap with me. Scott will-"

"No, Alan. You won't do anything of the kind."

"I won't?" Alan looked at his father in surprise.

Jeff sighed, wondering why he had to spell it out. "Your brothers don't have the... distractions... here that you do. I wonder if you realise how lucky you are, sometimes. Given the events of the past few days I have to say that you probably don't."

"I didn't come for relationship advice, Dad." Alan was immediately on the defensive.

"And you're not going to get it. Whatever you do with Tin-Tin is your own business. But you leave your brothers alone. They deserve the chance to meet someone too."

"Of course they do, it's just..."

"Alan!"

"Okay..." Alan turned sullenly and headed for the door.

"Son?"

"What?"

"If you should manage to persuade any of your brothers to give up their leave for you then I'll cancel the entitlement for both of you."

Alan spun round. "That's not fair!"

"No. But it's about time you showed a little more consideration for the others. Enjoy yourself here with Tin-Tin. Most people can only dream of the lifestyle you have."

"I know, but-"

"Alan, enough! Go and find Tin-Tin. It's a beautiful evening, make the most of it."

Any further arguments Alan might have put up were lost as Scott called in to say he was five minutes away from the island with Penny and Parker. Jeff pushed his chair away and got to his feet.

"Come on, son. And don't sulk at the dinner table - we had enough of that last night."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thak you so much for the response to the last chapter. Hope you like this one. Bee_

Chapter Three

As he flew back to Tracy Island after collecting Penny and Parker, Scott tried to work out what was wrong with the aristocrat. They'd always been friends, then, a couple of years ago, after pretending to be lovers in order to flush out a blackmailer, their relationship had become especially close. But lately Penny had grown distant and Scott had found himself missing their regular conversations - when you spent your life surrounded by your younger brothers, the company of a sophisticated woman was something to be savoured, even if it was usually via video-link. He supposed Penny's new relationship must be the reason for her lack of contact and he fully understood her apparent desire to focus on this new man. He wasn't jealous - he knew Penny had never seen him as anything more than a friend, though there had been a brief moment when he'd thought they might become something more. If he still occasionally dreamt of that time in Penny's hotel bathroom, he was too much of a gentleman to ever mention it to her, or to brag about it to his brothers, though it had been fun to keep them guessing.

It was a long flight. Even though it took less than an hour, the fact that Penny had given up her usual seat beside him in the cockpit in favour of one in the cabin where she was currently engrossed in some top-secret MI6 files, made it a somewhat boring one for the pilot. Parker had also refused to join him, preferring to stay in his usual seat at the back of the plane. Scott was glad when he brought the jet in to land, shutting the engines down and moving back to escort Penny down the steps, only to find that she'd already got out and was talking animatedly to his father. Resignedly, Scott turned to help Parker with Penny's many cases.

Dinner was a more lively meal than it had been for the past couple of nights. Alan had taken his father's advice and there was no sulking. In fact, he chatted away quite cheerfully. It wasn't difficult for him - he couldn't deny the fact that life probably didn't get much better than this, even if he was stuck on this (glorious, tropical) island for the foreseeable future. Gordon knew better than to tease Scott about Penny with the woman herself sitting at the table, but he couldn't help making a few subtle comments that he knew would be lost on Penny but which his brothers would pick up on easily enough. He wasn't surprised when Scott ignored him, but it was something of a puzzle - and a painful one at that - when Virgil kicked him under the table, following the action up with a pointed glare that told him it might be better to drop the matter.

Since Penny hadn't visited the island for some months there was a lot to catch up on. Aside from her ongoing but as yet unsuccessful mission to track down a couple of fugitives who had been involved in the theft of the old Thunderbird Four, she had tales to tell of her social engagements in England. Ascot, Wimbledon, a dinner at the Palace... Grandma and Tin-Tin listened enthralled as Penny recounted details of the clothes, the food - and of a man who appeared to have been at her side rather regularly lately, someone she referred to as, "my dear friend, Lord Warrington-Farr", or even, occasionally, as "darling Simon". Grandma began to look increasingly disappointed and Gordon was only prevented from making some comment to Scott by the knowledge that Virgil would do more than kick him in the ankle if he did. Older brothers were no fun, he decided, not for the first time.

After dinner Jeff took Penny off to his office, announcing that they had business to discuss. "I want everyone gathered in the lounge at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning," he announced. "I have a proposal to put to you."

Penny smiled, seeming to know exactly what he was talking about, but the others were mystified and, when Jeff left the dining room without giving them any clues, spent the rest of the evening trying to guess what their father might have in mind.

* * *

Everyone arrived in the lounge in good time the next morning. Penny settled herself in a chair beside Jeff's desk, glad of a rest after having been grabbed by Gordon straight after breakfast and taken down to Two's hangar to see his new submarine. Gordon's enthusiastic lecture had gone completely over her head. It looked exactly the same as the old Thunderbird Four to her untrained eye, and she'd never been particularly fond of yellow, anyway.

Jeff activated John's portrait, then, looking at the curious faces gathered around him, cleared his throat before announcing,

"I've decided it's time to expand our operations."

"Expand?" Gordon asked. "You mean bring in new people?"

"Partly," Jeff told him. "I've been aware for some time now of the demands I'm making on you boys. Not just professionally, but personally, too. I understand how limiting life on the island can be. You've spent the last few years focusing on International Rescue, it's time you had the chance to do something for yourselves. That can't happen if things remain as they are."

"I can't say I've got a problem with getting away from here more often," Scott said, "Or with having some new faces around. But what about the security issue?"

"We have several agents who currently work for the military or in the more traditional rescue organisations," Jeff told him. "Penny and I have been vetting them and we've produced a shortlist. I'll let you boys see it later - I assure you that no new personnel will be appointed unless every one of you approves."

"How many people were you thinking of taking on?" John asked. "The house only has room for a few visitors. We'd need to build new living quarters."

"Now that brings me on to my second announcement," Jeff told him. "I've decided that, to improve response time and take even more pressure off you boys, I'm going to establish a new base."

This came as a surprise to everyone. Their father had, several times in the past, mused over the wisdom of bringing in some new personnel, but the plan had always been to bring them to Tracy Island.

"Another base?" Alan stared at his father. "Where?"

Penny glanced at Jeff, getting a nod of approval before she began to speak. "Your father has asked me to begin negotiations to buy Sir Reuben McAllister's island in the Atlantic."

"But the caves were blown up," Virgil said. "Even if you cleared them out the whole structure would be too unstable."

"Not that one, Virgil," Jeff said. "I agree it would have been perfect, but you're right, it's no good to us now."

"Not that other island?" Scott didn't sound impressed. "That god-forsaken place in the middle of nowhere?"

"Always a good spot for a secret base," Gordon pointed out.

"Indeed." Jeff hadn't expected Scott to warm to the idea, but there weren't that many places which would suit their needs and he couldn't ignore this one just because of the associations it held for his eldest son. "Now that MI5 have finished with it, it's going up for sale. There will be no link to us, of course, but since, as Scott points out, it's hardly a pleasant place to visit, it's hard to see that there will be a great deal of interest from other buyers. It's ideal for our needs."

"There are a number of underground bunkers already in place," Penny said. "Brains, perhaps you'd like to look over the details later."

"Th-Thank y-you. B-But it will t-take some t-time to r-rcreate the s-silos."

"It took three years to get this place ready," Scott reminded them.

"Well it won't take quite as long this time," Jeff told him. "We only need facilities for two 'birds."

"How's it going to work, Dad?" John asked. "You're going to park One and Two there when we're needed on that side of the world?"

"Not exactly." Jeff looked around at them again. "When I said I wanted to take the pressure off you boys, that's precisely what I meant. I intend to set up a completely separate base with its own set of Thunderbirds."

"Another Two?" Virgil didn't like the idea. His 'bird was unique, and the artist in him wanted it to stay that way. For the first time he truly appreciated what Gordon had gone through when they'd had to build another sub. He'd seen the improvements to Thunderbird Four, had installed many of them himself, but that had been a matter of necessity and the old submarine had been destroyed anyway. He didn't like the idea of another, possibly better, Thunderbird Two based halfway across the world.

Jeff nodded. "One, Two and Four."

Gordon didn't seem too pleased either. "We've only just got New Four," he said. "Do we really have to build another one? What are we even going to call it?"

"But we don't need another Thunderbird Three?" Alan asked quickly, before his brothers could distract his father any further.

Jeff smiled. "No, we don't. Space missions are rare and we can handle Five's supply runs and personnel changeovers from here."

"Good." Alan might have liked the idea of bringing in more staff, immediately seeing the advantages of having more free time, but, like Virgil, he took pleasure in the fact that his 'bird was one of a kind.

"I can see the logic in the idea," John said slowly. "But are we really going to hand over all our Atlantic missions to a bunch of strangers?"

"They'll be highly trained, John," Penny reminded him. "They won't be strangers, either. They'll be working here for a year or two until the new base is ready."

"John does have a point, though," Jeff said. "I'd prefer it if the new base wasn't completely staffed by new faces. This is a family business and I'd like to think one of you will take charge there. It's completely up to you, of course. Your home is here and I'd understand if none of you wanted to leave."

There was silence as the brothers let this idea sink in.

"My mansion is just a short flight away," Penny reminded them. "You'll be more than welcome to stay at any time." Her smile faltered for the briefest moment as Scott emphatically refused to even consider the matter.

"Not me, Dad. I've got nothing but bad memories of that place."

"I'd miss the sun," Gordon said. "And my pool."

Jeff nodded. "Virgil? It's a wonderful project for an engineer."

His middle son shrugged. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."

"Take all the time you need. John, Alan, the same goes for you."

Alan opened his mouth to reject the proposal out of hand - he loved his tropical island life - only for Tin-Tin to put a warning hand on his arm. Confused, he shut his mouth again, wondering what was on her mind.

"Well," Jeff said. "I know I've given you all a lot to think about. I'll leave you to get used to the idea. Penny, if you'll come along to my office we can look at that report from Agent 21."

They left the room, Brains following behind, leaving the boys and Tin-Tin alone. Even though the older brothers had all been feeling trapped on the island, tied down by their commitment to International Rescue, they found themselves surprisingly unsettled by their father's announcement. There was a lot to discuss and the debate was soon raging.

"You okay?" Alan asked Tin-Tin. She'd been very quiet for a good few minutes.

"Come outside," she whispered.

The others broke off their discussion to watch them leave.

"Again?" Virgil sighed. "You'd think news like this might have distracted them for at least another five minutes."

"Hey, if this goes ahead that could be us," Gordon reminded him. There was a thoughtful silence for a moment. Suddenly the prospect of someone else manning their 'birds didn't seem quite so bad.

* * *

"What is it?" Alan asked.

"You're not going to like it," Tin-Tin warned him.

"Like what?"

Tin-Tin looked steadily at him. "I want to go."

"Go where? The new base? Why? You heard Scott, it's a miserable place. I thought you hated the rain."

"I do. But Alan, it's such a wonderful opportunity for us."

"It is?"

"Yes. You could have the new Thunderbird One. You'd be in charge of all the missions. Wouldn't you like that?"

He had to admit he would. He wouldn't miss his rotations up on Five either. But he wouldn't get to fly Three, he thought, and that was the one thing he didn't want to give up.

"What about you?"

Tin-Tin fixed him with a weary look. "Alan, I know you forget sometimes, but I'm an engineer. I'm just as good as Virgil is. But I don't get the chance to show what I can do. Not really. Here, I'm just Brains' assistant, but on the new base I'd get to run things myself."

"You want to do that?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"

Alan was about to point out that just a couple of days ago it had been marriage and babies on her mind, not machines, then, with a rare flash of insight, realised that such a comment wouldn't go down well. But he really didn't want to leave this island - it was his home, the place he felt he really belonged. One thing his father hadn't mentioned, in fact, didn't seem to have even considered, was that here they had their grandmother and Kyrano to look after them. The new base wouldn't have anyone like that. It just wouldn't be the same. He didn't dare tell Tin-Tin that, though, not when she was clearly so excited.

He forced himself to smile. "You'd do a great job."

Her face lit up and he knew that for once he'd said the right thing.

"Really? You really believe in me?"

"Sure I do." He took her hand and walked her down to the beach, listening to her enthusiastic ideas as to how she'd organise everything, all the while wondering how he could talk her out of it - or persuade Virgil to take the job.

* * *

Tin-Tin tentatively broached the subject with Brains later that day. The genius considered the matter for a moment before enthusiastically announcing his support for the idea. He'd hate to lose Tin-Tin of course, but he really did think she'd be perfect for the job.

"I-I don't think V-Virgil will want t-to go," he said. "N-not without S-Scott."

"He'd miss Mrs Tracy too," Tin-Tin said. "Virgil likes to be fussed over. You know, I can't believe how supportive Alan's being, Brains. I think the fight we had scared him. He's really starting to grow up."

Brains said nothing. He'd tested the harness Alan had been wearing the previous day and found nothing wrong with it. He knew exactly what the young man had done - and why. Whilst he didn't blame him for doing everything he could to win back Tin-Tin, he still couldn't bring himself to believe that Alan was actually worthy of her. Suddenly he didn't want to hear any more praise of the youngest Tracy. He got to his feet, announcing that, since Tin-Tin had everything well in hand, he'd leave her to it for a while.

"I-I've got s-something I-I want to work on outside."

"Okay, Brains. Let me know if you need me." Still full of dreams of the future, Tin-Tin didn't stop to wonder why Brains, usually to be found cooped up inside his lab, might want to venture into the fresh air.

Brains was currently working on a number of smaller projects in addition to his new machine, including the construction of a new, improved jet pack, smaller and lighter than the ones currently in use by International Rescue, but able to keep a person in the air for almost twice as long. He'd done some limited testing in his lab, but what he needed now was to see how the equipment functioned when it was given a proper workout.

Strapping it on, he briefly considered calling Virgil or Scott to assist him, then decided against it. They'd probably be still discussing their father's plans and he didn't want to disturb them. He knew Gordon had work to do on Four and the last person he wanted around right now was Alan. So, ignoring all the safety advice he always gave any of the others when they were about to test a new device, he pushed the ignition switch and gently rose into the air as the jet pack kicked into action.

He decided that coming outside had been a good idea. He should do it more often, he thought. Not only was he giving the jet pack a thorough test, but the exhilaration of the flight had done wonders for clearing his head and letting him get all thoughts of Alan and Tin-Tin out of his system. Glancing at his watch, he decided he'd just have one last turn around the top of the volcano, then he'd go back in and write up his findings ready to present to Jeff that evening. His employer was always effusive with his praise when Brains unveiled something new, even if it was only an upgrade of an existing machine, and, being as insecure as he was, Brains always relished the feeling of satisfaction he got from proving his worth once again.

But, inevitably, although the take-off and flight had been spectacular successes, the landing didn't go quite so well. Brains wasn't quite sure what happened, but one moment he was heading towards the entrance to the labs, slowing down and losing height in as controlled a manner as he could wish for, the next, the engine cut out and instead of the gentle landing he'd been anticipating, he dropped the last ten feet and hit the ground hard.

He lay there for a moment, relieved that he'd at least been close to the ground and not going particularly fast, but, when he began to take stock of all the aches and pains that tormented his body he soon realised that, whilst he'd been lucky enough to have escaped without serious injury, one ankle seemed to be, if not broken, then at least severely sprained. He could pull himself - with some discomfort - to a sitting position, but he couldn't get to his feet. Embarrassed at the failure of his experiment but realising that he needed assistance, he put out a call on his watch.

Within five minutes everyone on the island - even Grandma and Kyrano - were gathered around him. Brains had to endure a stern lecture from Jeff as to his recklessness, unable to explain to the man why he'd gone out alone in the first place, then, once he was settled in the infirmary, had to put up with a second telling-off, this time from Grandma, as she strapped up his ankle and tended to his many cuts and bruises. Finally allowed to return to his quarters, he meekly obeyed the combined orders of Jeff and Grandma and got himself into bed, only to face further embarrassment when Tin-Tin brought him a cup of tea, not only insisting on plumping up his pillows, but placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, telling him how worried she'd been and how much she'd miss him if anything happened to him.

She laughed as Brains blushed, but, before either of them could say anything, her watch beeped and the pair heard John announce that International Rescue was needed once again.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you to all those who gave me feedback on the last chapter, especially Whirlgirl, since I can't reply personally. I really wasn't sure where to end this - there was another section, but I finally decided it would work better in the next chapter. I'll get that one up just as soon as I can. Bee_

Chapter Four

Tin-Tin and Brains waited for the rest of the organisation to gather in the lounge for the briefing. John seemed unusually agitated as he waited for everyone to arrive.

"Okay, guys," he told them, "It's a big one. There's been an explosion at the Wells Research Station. They were digging out a new shaft when they hit an undetected pocket of gas."

The grim faces of the others told him that they'd immediately grasped the seriousness of this one. Even Alan, who usually struggled to mask his excitement at the prospect of a rescue, however perilous the situation, looked genuinely worried.

The Wells Complex was an underground Canadian city, with a population of over three hundred. Around three kilometres below ground, it had been built as an experiment in endurance, to see if it was possible to survive underground on a permanent basis with only the minimum of technological support. Those who lived there had to sign up for a minimum of one year. Even John, who was happy to spend weeks at a time cooped up on Thunderbird Five, had voiced the question of why anyone would want to deprive themselves of fresh air and sunlight for that long, especially when contact with the outside world was strictly limited. At a conference some months ago, Brains had met several men who'd recently returned to the Earth's surface after completing their tour of duty and their pale faces and watery eyes had convinced him that, however fascinating the experiment might be, it took a particularly dedicated person to agree to take part.

"How bad?" Jeff asked.

"The eastern sector is completely destroyed," John told them. "No chance of survivors. Thankfully most of the remaining personnel were able to make their way to the exit shafts but there are around thirty people unaccounted for. The explosion started a fire which seems to be gaining ground, but they can't risk blocking off the air shafts to quell the flames, not whilst there's a chance people might still be alive down there."

"How long can they hold out?" Jeff asked.

"Five hours if they've got into the crisis shelters. If they haven't, then it depends on their air supply. Probably not more than a couple of hours - assuming the fire doesn't get them first. We're going to have to-"

He broke off and turned to his console for a moment. "Sorry about that. I've just had an update. It gets worse, guys. The underground reservoir that gives them their water supply has been damaged. There's a breach in one of the walls. If it gives way the water will put the fires out but it's not going to be good news for anyone trapped in the corridors. Apparently it could flood the whole place. There's an emergency drainage system but someone's going to need to get down there to activate it manually."

"What's the plan?" Scott asked, already inching towards the entrance to One's hangar.

"Brains?" Jeff asked. "Are you listening to all this?"

"Y-yes, Mr T-Tracy." Brains pulled himself up straighter in his bed and thought for a moment before listing all the equipment they were going to need. His biggest worry, he informed them, was the risk of more explosions which might cause the whole complex to become structurally unsound. Then, as Jeff began to issue orders to his sons, he pushed the bedclothes aside and started to get out.

"Brains, what are you doing?" Tin-Tin cried.

"Brains?" Jeff's voice came through the wrist-comm.

"I-I need to g-go with the b-boys, Mr T-Tracy," Brains insisted. "They'll be p-pushed to the l-limit as it i-is."

"You can't go, Brains," Scott told him. "We can't risk taking someone who's not fully fit."

"B-but the reser-reservoir..."

"I'll handle it, Brains," Virgil told him.

"I-I think it's going to b-be a t-two man j-job," Brains said, pushing Tin-Tin's hands away as she tried to settle him back against the pillows. "N-no one else knows w-what to d-do. I-I have t-to go."

He wondered why Tin-Tin gave him an extra-hard shove backwards, and he hissed in pain as his sore body objected to the sudden movement. He looked at her in bewilderment as she glared back at him.

Tin-Tin felt a momentary flash of remorse at the realisation that she'd hurt her friend, but it only lasted a second before frustration and annoyance swept over her once more. This was exactly why she wanted the job at the new base. When even Brains, who knew her talents in engineering better than anyone, forgot that she was fully qualified to go on the mission, what hope was there that anyone else on Tracy Island would ever really take her seriously? But before she could open her mouth to demand that they gave her the chance to show what she was capable of, Alan spoke up.

"Tin-Tin can do it."

Tin-Tin was so shocked that she had to sit down on the bed, almost landing in Brains' lap. But she didn't even register the man's clear discomfort at her closeness, instead trying to work out if she'd really heard what she thought she had. _Alan_ had spoken up for her? He'd actually realised that she was more than just his on-off-on-again girlfriend? He was finally treating her like an equal part of the team instead of a fragile female who needed to be protected from the slightest hint of danger or discomfort? She couldn't believe it!

It was true, sure enough, but actually, Alan had been thinking none of those things. Still reeling from Tin-Tin's announcement that she wanted to leave Tracy Island, he'd had a sudden flash of inspiration when Brains had stated that the mission would need another engineer. So Tin-Tin wanted to prove herself? Well, she didn't have to move halfway across the world to do that. If he encouraged his father to give her more of a role in rescues, then surely she wouldn't feel the need to move on. He didn't like her putting herself in danger - that would never change - and if he was honest, he'd rather she stayed put and kept Grandma company, but if it meant he didn't have to leave the place where he was most comfortable, then he'd happily go along with it. Virgil would be there to keep an eye on her, so she'd be safe enough - he'd rather do it himself, but he knew from experience that even if the mission didn't demand that the two engineers be paired up, there was no way Scott would let him and Tin-Tin go off together, not trusting them to keep their minds fully on their work, especially not when they were in one of their make-up phases, as they were right now.

He realised the rest of his family were staring at him in surprise. "What?" he asked. "Tin-Tin's easily as good an engineer as Virgil. Or Brains, for that matter."

"Of course she is," Jeff agreed. "It's just that you don't usually want her taking part in rescues."

"Well, I've changed my mind. She deserves the chance to show what she can do, Dad."

"Okay. Tin-Tin, are you up for this?"

Tin-Tin couldn't stop smiling as she informed her employer that she was more than ready. Instructed to get down to Thunderbird Two as quickly as she could, she jumped to her feet, hugged a speechless Brains and set off at a run.

In the lounge, Jeff gave the order to launch the 'birds. But even before Scott and Virgil could get to their respective wall panels, John called in with news that there had been yet another explosion.

"This is going to be a tough one," he told them. "Good luck, guys."

For all her efforts to remain detached, Penny couldn't help herself as Scott reached for the lamps which would spin him round into One's hangar.

"Be careful, Scott."

"Sure, Penny," he grinned. "Don't I always come back in one piece?"

Then he was gone. With Jeff having turned to John's portrait and Gordon already heading towards Two's passenger elevator, it was only Alan who saw the look on Penny's face as she gazed at the empty space where Scott had been.

* * *

Despite the tension over the forthcoming rescue, Alan couldn't remember a more pleasant flight in Thunderbird Two. Tin-Tin had been so thrilled by the way he'd spoken up for her that she'd flung herself at him just as soon as the pair met up, forcing an unusually embarrassed Gordon to leave them to it and hasten up to the cockpit. In no hurry to join them, the others had gone into the crew quarters so that they could spend some time together. Tin-Tin was determined to be professional, much to Alan's disappointment, but she promised him she'd make up for lost time once they were back on Tracy Island.

"I guess I can see why the guys want to get away for a while," Alan said as he sipped his coffee. "Who do you think will meet someone first? My money's on Scott."

Tin-Tin laughed. "Maybe he's already met the right woman."

"Huh?"

Tin-Tin hesitated for a moment. She'd never voiced her suspicions to Alan, knowing that she'd just give him ammunition with which to tease his eldest brother. But he'd been so much more mature lately. It could be a test, she decided. She'd see what he said - and swear him to secrecy if he didn't offer to keep it quiet voluntarily. The way things were between them right now, she knew he'd do anything she wanted.

"Lady Penelope's in love with him. He's just too stupid to see it."

"_What?_ _Penny?_ I know we've teased Scott about it, but she's seeing this other guy now. You know, "_darling Simon_"." He finished with a fairly appalling attempt at an English accent.

"She's just trying to make Scott jealous."

Alan thought back to the scene in the lounge, remembering Penny's wistful expression when Scott had left for Thunderbird One.

"She told him to be careful just now," he told her. "And she looked kind of worried about him. You might be onto something, Tin-Tin." He was silent for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Scott does like her. I remember what he said about her when Dad first introduced her to us. I can't see why he wouldn't be interested if he knew she felt the same way. Hey, this is great. I could-"

"Alan, no! You're not to tease Scott. Or Penny."

"I'm not going to! This is the new Alan, remember. The one who's mature about relationships."

They exchanged meaningful smiles for a moment.

"I was thinking maybe we could try to help Penny out."

"I don't know, Alan. Your grandmother's tried but nothing's come of it." Tin-Tin was just grateful that the old lady's plans to reunite her and Alan had met with a little more success.

"That's because she's a woman. Romantic movies and flowers will never work on Scott. I'll talk to the guys."

"Alan..."

"Okay, just Virg, then. I'll leave Gordon out of it. That's what you're worried about, isn't it?"

"Maybe." Tin-Tin adored the second-youngest Tracy, but there were a lot of things she wouldn't trust him to be sensible about and this was one of them. She wasn't entirely sure she'd done the right thing in telling Alan. Still, he did seem to genuinely want to help his brother so she'd give him the benefit of the doubt - for now.

Alan sat in thought for a moment. He really did want Scott to be as happy as he was right now and, since he liked Penny too, the thought of the two of them pairing up made a whole lot of sense. Who knew, maybe if they did get together Scott would reconsider taking charge of the new base. After all, he'd be closer to Penny. His father wouldn't want to lose two sons so Alan would have to stay on Tracy Island. Tin-Tin wouldn't go without him, he was sure of it. He smiled. Everything was coming together just perfectly.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Whirlgirl, as always I really appreciate your support._

_This chapter wasn't supposed to end here but work has had to take priority over writing this week (unfortunately!). Hope you like it. Bee_

Chapter Five

Naturally, Virgil and Gordon didn't let Tin-Tin and Alan enjoy too much time together before reminding them that there was a mission to prepare for. Alan grumbled for a moment, then made his way down to the pod to help Gordon ready the equipment. Tin-Tin went forward to the cockpit where she and Virgil discussed their own roles in the mission. After fixing the pilot a coffee - and promising herself that her days as the world's most over-qualified waitress would soon be over - Tin-Tin went down to join the others, calling a greeting across the pod before picking up a couple of backpacks and disappearing into a storage unit.

"You're really okay about her coming along?" Gordon asked his brother.

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, you're usually moaning about how dangerous it's going to be. What's going on?"

"Nothing." Alan was fairly sure Gordon wouldn't have much sympathy with his scheming and, after the way his brother had reacted when he'd pretended to be about to fall to his death, he wasn't going to give him anything else to reproach him with. "Okay, if Brains was fit then I'd have expected Tin-Tin to stay behind, but right now there's no one else who can do the job. Give the girl some credit, Gords, she's more than capable of handling this."

"She really has got you well-trained," Gordon laughed. "Well, it took her long enough."

Alan was saved from replying by Tin-Tin's emergence from the store room. "All set?" he asked.

Tin-Tin smiled. "All set. How much longer?"

"About twenty minutes. Scott should be landing round about now."

Sure enough, at that moment the eldest brother's voice came through on their wrist-comms as he announced that he was just approaching the danger zone. "Step on it, Virg," he ordered, and those in the pod grinned at each other as Virgil, as always, insisted indignantly that he was going just as fast as he could.

By the time Thunderbird Two came in to land, Scott had set up Mobile Control and established a plan for the rescue. Virgil and Tin-Tin already knew that they were to make their way down to the reservoir, under instructions to get it drained as quickly as they could so that the danger it posed could be eliminated. Then the pair could return to the surface and join in the efforts to rescue survivors. Scott had established that the tunnel which led directly to the control room had been destroyed in one of the blasts, so he and Alan would take them down to a small access corridor half a mile away - as close as they dared get in case the vibrations from the Mole damaged the retaining wall of the reservoir even more and let the water flood out. They would then return to the surface and dig another tunnel, this time in order to reach a small group of scientists trapped in one of the labs. In the meantime, Gordon was to fly over the complex, using Two's powerful sensors to seek out any hotspots where more survivors might be awaiting rescue - and to track the progress of the fire.

Tin-Tin tried not to look bored as Virgil turned Two over to Gordon with the usual threats and admonishments to take care of his 'bird. Did the brothers really have to do this every time someone else took control of their craft, she wondered. They knew each and every one of them was more than competent to pilot every Thunderbird in the fleet, yet still they insisted on having the same conversation, time after time after time... Maybe it was a brother thing, she thought. As an only child it was an unknown concept to her, but the boys seemed to get a kick out of it. She decided that, when she and Alan were finally ready to start a family, there would definitely be more than one baby. The thought made her smile and she leaned her head against Alan's shoulder for a moment, smiling at his half-pleased, half-embarrassed expression.

"Here we are, guys," Scott called out as the Mole slowed to a stop. "Time to get out."

"You be careful," Alan told his girlfriend, with a quick squeeze of her hand. Then, because he could see her tender look turn to one of frustration at the implication that she wasn't really up to the job, he quickly added, "Look after Virgil for me."

She smiled at him. "I will." Then, not caring that the other brothers were watching, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before making her way out of the Mole. A few moments later she and Virgil were on their way.

Their trek to the room which housed the controls for the drainage system was uneventful but slow. The corridor was dark, the emergency lighting giving just enough of a glow for them to see where they were going, but the fire was nowhere near them and there was still a good supply of oxygen, even if the air did feel unusually damp and cold as they breathed it in.

Every now and again either Jeff or John would call in for a progress report. Scott and Alan had picked up the first group of trapped scientists and were on their way to rescue another lot. Virgil had felt duty-bound to remind them that they'd be putting themselves in danger if the reservoir gave way, since the tunnels they'd be heading for were directly in the path which the water would take. He wasn't surprised when both his brothers refused to abandon their mission. Tin-Tin added a gentle reminder to Alan to be careful, but the obvious concern she felt didn't stop her doggedly following Virgil towards their destination. Finally, they reached the reservoir. The access codes they'd been given unlocked the door to the control room, but it refused to slide open more than a few inches, having apparently buckled in the explosion. It took sheer brute force on the part of Virgil to open it enough for the pair of them to get through.

Whilst Tin-Tin headed for the control console to assess the damage, Virgil turned to the large plexi-glass window which looked over the reservoir.

"Look at that," he whistled.

Tin-Tin could see that the damaged wall wasn't going to hold much longer. There was a large crack running down the centre and water was spurting out, the rate increasing even as they watched.

"Come on," Virgil instructed. "We need to get this over with quickly."

Together they worked to get the drainage gates open. Both of them wished the founders of the complex had been persuaded to compromise on their insistence that the place should function with the minimum of technology. The drainage system was antiquated, the gates needing to be released manually, and it took them several minutes to get the first one open. Virgil couldn't help glancing out of the window every few seconds. The crack in the wall was getting larger and there were still three gates to go. It was going to be close, and his brothers were out in the nearby tunnels, in deadly danger if the wall gave way.

* * *

After dropping Virgil and Tin-Tin off, Scott and Alan had collected the three trapped scientists from their lab and returned to the surface in the Mole. By this time Gordon had landed, having completed his scans, the results currently being analysed by John up in Thunderbird Five and Brains on Tracy Island, still under orders to keep to his bed, but refusing to sit this one out completely.

"Okay," Scott said, looking at the results as they came through. "Looks like we've got three areas we need to get to. We'll take these two first." He pointed at two small red dots.

"That other group is bigger," Gordon said, craning his neck to get a look at the vid-screen. "They've got to be running short of air by now."

They're also further away," Scott said, and the lack of any emotion in his voice didn't fool the others into thinking that this was an easy thing for him to say. "There's that vein of rock to get through, too. It's going to take too long. The chances of them staying alive long enough for us to reach them are virtually zero. And if we do go after them, we risk losing the other two groups. The fire's getting close to the one lot and the others are right in the way of the water if that reservoir gives way."

There was silence for a moment before Alan and Gordon nodded their agreement, Brains, John and Jeff concurring. They all hated situations like these, but they'd learned the hard way on an early rescue that, however tempting it might be to try to save everyone, it wasn't worth risking the lives of those who had a strong chance of survival in favour of those whose lives were almost certainly going to be lost. After that disastrous chain of events when they'd lost fifteen victims, seven of whom they knew for a fact they could have saved if they'd only headed for them first, they'd all agreed on the need to prioritise. It was another argument for a second team, Scott thought. With double the manpower they could save a lot more people.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Okay," Alan muttered. He was thinking about the new team too. He'd never had to make the choice that Scott just had, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he, too, would have to make the decision which would condemn someone to death. It was yet another reason why he didn't want that responsibility full-time.

"Come on," Gordon said, ushering them back to the Mole. "Let's get going. If we can get to the first two groups quickly, maybe the others will have a chance after all."

Gordon took the helm of the Mole, plotting a course which would allow him to drop his brothers off near the rock fall which was trapping one set of victims. He'd then continue on down into the lower depths of the complex to pick up the second group.

"Be careful, Gords," Scott warned him, receiving the usual half-irritated, half-affectionate roll of the eyes in return.

"Hey, Al," Gordon called, as his younger brother prepared to follow Scott out of the vehicle, "Don't I get a kiss?"

Alan scowled, but before he could decide whether to ignore Gordon or to completely surprise him by doing exactly as he asked - just to see the look on his face - Scott grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him out into the tunnel.

"No time!" he snapped. "Get moving, Alan."

Alan got moving. They made their way forward through the tunnel, occasionally stumbling over loose rocks. The vibrations from the Mole caused showers of debris to fall from the roof and it was a relief when eventually the rumbling died away and the area seemed to stabilise.

They were making good progress in clearing the rock fall which was trapping the men they were trying to rescue when Virgil called in.

"Come in, Scott."

"Go ahead, Virg."

"Mission successful. The reservoir's draining. I estimate it's going to take another twenty minutes or so, but the pressure's been released, I don't think there's much chance of it giving way."

"Good work," Scott told him. "You and Tin-Tin start making your way back to the surface."

"FAB."

Alan breathed a sigh of relief at the news that Tin-Tin's part in the mission had been a success. Now he'd just have to persuade her to stay up on the surface and take over Mobile Control, then he'd have no more worries about her. He'd just turned to Scott to suggest it when, out of nowhere, the explosion happened.

Alan was thrown hard against the wall, crashing to the floor where he lay in a daze for a moment. He was convinced he'd be buried under the roof as it gave way, but by some miracle nothing heavy hit him. Finally it was over and he lay there panting for a moment, unable to believe that he'd escaped unscathed. Pulling himself together, he opened his eyes. But he could see nothing. The emergency lighting had failed and he scrabbled around for his flashlight, calling out for Scott as he did so.

There was no reply.

* * *

Tin-Tin lay on the floor of the control room, pinned under the weight of Virgil's body as he protected her from the blast. He'd thrown himself at her the moment the ground began to shake, sweeping her into a corner of the room as the ceiling above where she'd been standing began to cave in. She'd yelled something out to him, she knew she had, but for a few moments the noise of falling rock was deafening and she couldn't hear her own words, let alone any reply Virgil might have made. A few rocks landed on her, despite Virgil's best efforts to shield her and she could only imagine what he was enduring as the debris rained down on him. For a few moments she was certain that this was the end, then the rumbling and quaking stopped just as suddenly as it had begun . The silence that followed was welcome - for a moment, at least.

"Virgil? _Virgil?_"


	6. Chapter 6

_Sometimes when I post a chapter I say that it didn't go the way I expected it to. _

_This one was always meant to be._

Chapter Six

Alan's fingers closed around the flashlight and he felt for the switch. The resulting light showed him just how lucky he'd been - and why he hadn't got any response from Scott. The floor where his brother had been standing had given way, a hole about three metres wide left in its place.

"_Scott!_" He took a few steps towards the opening, backing away hurriedly when the edge began to crumble, sending a shower of debris down into the hole.

"Ow!"

"Scott?" Alan had never been so glad to hear his brother's voice. Mindful of the fragility of the ground he crawled forward, lying on his stomach so he could lean over the edge, shining his light down and taking in the sight of his brother lying in a heap at the bottom. The hole wasn't spectacularly deep, but it would have been a hard enough fall to cause Scott some real damage. "Are you okay?"

Scott yelped and covered his eyes as the light hit him full in the face. "I'm fine. Blinded, maybe..." He blinked as Alan apologised and moved the beam away.

"Anything broken?"

Scott moved gingerly. "No. I guess I was lucky. I didn't actually fall, I think I just slid most of the way." Getting to his feet he looked down at himself. "That's another uniform ruined..."

"As long as that's all that's damaged. You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, just a few cuts and bruises. I'd like to get out of here, though." He surveyed the sides of the hole as Alan moved the beam of the flashlight around. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to climb up unaided - it doesn't look too stable. Can you get a line down to me?"

"Hang on a minute." Alan left his brother in darkness for a moment as he moved away from the edge of the hole, pulling a rope out of his pack and looking around for somewhere to attach it. He and Scott had been lucky, he thought - beyond the hole was another rock fall, cutting off any escape route. He wondered if the people they'd been on their way to save had survived. The piles of rock they'd been working their way through seemed undisturbed so maybe they'd been lucky too.

Scott's voice floated up to Alan as he called John and his father. Then Gordon came through, expressing his relief that his two brothers were okay. He reported that he'd successfully rescued the men he'd been trying to reach and was now back in the Mole and on his way to the surface. As soon as he'd dropped off his passengers he'd be down to help his brothers.

"Virgil and Tin-Tin?" he asked.

"Nothing yet." John couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.

It was only then that Alan realised that he hadn't given Tin-Tin a thought, so focused had he been on Scott. Giving the rope a final tug to check it would hold he threw it down to his brother without any warning, oblivious to Scott's cry of surprise as it landed on his head.

"Tin-Tin? Come in Tin-Tin."

There was a long pause. Then Tin-Tin's voice came through, little more than a whisper.

"Alan?" She sounded breathless.

"What's wrong? What's happened to you?"

"N-nothing. I'm okay. I'm just... Give me a minute."

Alan fretted for a minute or two. He'd been so relieved to hear his girlfriend's voice but something was clearly wrong and there had still been no word from his brother. He was about to call Tin-Tin back when Scott's hand on his shoulder made him start - he'd been listening so intently for another message that he hadn't realised his brother had finally managed to get himself out of the hole.

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

But before Alan could answer, the sudden shifting of a pile of debris to the side of them drew their attention. A small trickle of water began to wind its way from under the rubble towards them and even as they watched, the rate of the flow increased, larger rocks now being forced aside by the pressure of the water. They instinctively took a step backwards.

"The reservoir," Scott muttered. "The blast must have weakened the damaged wall some more. We need to know what's going on there, Alan. Now!"

* * *

Tin-Tin had been grateful for Virgil's solid bulk when he'd forced the control room door open and when he'd protected her from the collapsing ceiling. Now, though, it was something of a problem as she lay underneath him, nearly crushed by his weight and that of the rubble on top of him. She'd had a hard enough job moving her wrist close enough to her face to be able to answer Alan. Getting herself out from under Virgil was going to be a far more difficult job, made worse by the concern she felt for her still and silent friend.

Finally she managed to wriggle free. She didn't spare a thought for the wrecked control room or the reservoir itself, focusing all her attention on Virgil. He was cut and bruised, but she didn't think any bones had been broken. He'd taken a hard knock to the head, though, the lump above his left ear and the blood in his hair telling her all she needed to know.

"Tin-Tin?" Alan's urgent voice came in. "What's happening there?"

Taking a moment to consider how to break the news, Tin-Tin gave her assessment of the situation.

"I'm sure he'll be alright when he wakes up," she assured them, hoping she was right.

"Do what you can for him, Tin-Tin. But we've got another problem." Scott's voice came through. "Take a look at the reservoir, will you?"

Patting Virgil's shoulder gently as she got to her feet, Tin-Tin edged carefully towards the shattered remains of the window. Her eyes widened as she realised that the crack in the damaged wall had got a whole lot bigger. Now it was a massive hole which was getting larger by the second. Thousands of gallons of water were pouring out. The drainage gates weren't going to get rid of the water fast enough - Alan and Scott, not to mention the men they had been trying to rescue, were now directly in the path of the raging water.

There was only one thing to do, Tin-Tin thought. She and Virgil had discussed various scenarios with Brains during the flight and they'd been prepared for something like this. In the backpacks the pair had carried were a number of explosive charges. They were only to be used as a last resort due to the presence of gas in the complex, but that was a risk Tin-Tin was prepared to take. If the drainage gates weren't big enough to divert enough water to stop Alan from drowning, then she was going to make them bigger, whatever the cost to herself. She knew Virgil would feel the same way.

Quickly announcing what she intended to do, she ignored Alan's protests that it was too dangerous, calling in Brains to hesitantly explain that it was the only possible solution and one with a strong chance of success - if there was no trace of gas and if Tin-Tin could get the charges set and detonated in time.

"Virgil?" she called, patting his shoulder, gently. "I have to leave you for a while. You'll be okay."

To her relief he stirred and moaned, his eyelids fluttering as he muttered something she couldn't make out.

Switching his watch on and ordering the others to keep talking to him, she made her way over to the backpacks which lay where they'd left them, thankfully untouched by the fallen debris. Slinging them over her shoulder she returned to the window, picking up a nearby piece of metal in order to clear the edge of jagged glass before climbing through and out onto the steel gantry which ran along the sides of the reservoir.

Scott and Alan huddled between the edge of the hole and the rock fall, having opted to jump across in order to avoid being swept down it by the force of the water. The flow was rapid now and the space they were trapped in was filling quickly. At first they'd hoped that the water would run down the hole and drain away but it hadn't worked out that way - clearly the bottom of the hole was blocked and although they'd had a short respite as it had filled up, the water was now up to their waists with no sign of stopping.

John was preoccupied with trying to keep a groggy Virgil awake, so it was Jeff who kept in contact with them, putting a swift end to the argument which broke out when Alan - supported by Scott - insisted that Tin-Tin should forget climbing around an unstable reservoir to set explosives in favour of getting herself and Virgil as far away from danger as she could. His father's reminder that Tin-Tin was a member of International Rescue with a job to do and that Alan himself had recommended the girl for the mission, insisting she was as capable as any of the brothers, had shut the young man up. Now he stood sullenly, watching the water level rise while Scott tried to reassure him that his girlfriend knew what she was doing.

Then Tin-Tin's voice came over the comm. "How are things with you, Alan?"

"We're doing fine," Alan lied, trying to stop his teeth from chattering as the water level grew ever higher."Gordon's on his way. Just get yourself and Virg away from there."

"Guys, I'm too far away," Gordon chipped in. "You don't have time. Tin-Tin, do what you have to do."

"I will." Tin-Tin ignored Alan's protests. "I've almost finished placing the explosives around the drainage gates. You and Scott had better brace yourselves - the shockwaves might bring down more of the corridor. I'm setting the charges to go off in five minutes."

"We can hold out longer," Alan told her. He wanted to say more but a sudden swell of water took him by surprise, splashing his face and making him cough.

"Alan?" Tin-Tin sounded panicked.

"He's still here." It was Scott who replied whilst Alan coughed some more.

"Good. I don't want him going anywhere. Or you, Scott."

"We're okay, right Alan?"

Alan - between coughs - agreed.

Okay, I'm nearly done here. I'm going to head back to Virgil. Five minutes, okay?"

The water level was higher now and the brothers found themselves having to tread water, thankful that the roof of the corridor was high and that they wouldn't drown just yet. Alan was trying to stay afloat using only one arm so that he could keep using his wrist-comm. There was another sudden surge and, just as he opened his mouth for a final word to Tin-Tin, he slipped under the water. It was a moment before he resurfaced, coughing and spluttering as he reassured Tin-Tin, John and his father that he really was okay.

"Five... minutes," he reminded them. "It's going to be... fine."

When the explosives detonated just two minutes later, everyone except Tin-Tin was taken completely by surprise.

* * *

Tin-Tin had had only one thought in mind as she placed the explosives - to save Alan. She'd known that time was short so she'd placed all the charges around the two drainage gates directly below the control room. Ideally she'd have blown the opposite wall of the reservoir, but the gantry which ran around it had been damaged and there was no way she was going to risk climbing down the access ladders and making her way across the crumbling wall that was the cause of all the trouble. It looked as though it might give way at any moment and if that happened, Alan was finished. Scott too, she reminded herself, forcing herself to stay professional.

She knew she had enough explosives to make a massive hole between the two drainage gates. It wouldn't stop the flow of water towards Alan and Scott, but it would lessen it considerably, giving Gordon enough time to get to them in the Mole. She was confident the pair would be safe. No, the real problem she had now was in ensuring that she and Virgil didn't get caught up in the blast. If Virgil had been fit then it wouldn't have been a problem, but there was no way she could carry him.

She called in to John and was relieved to hear that Virgil was a little more coherent, even making shaky attempts to get to his feet, despite John's pleas to him to stay where he was. Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as she'd anticipated. At least if Virgil could walk she could get him to safety. Signing off with John, she called Alan to let him and Scott know that she'd soon finish placing the charges. It was a relief to talk to him, even though there were so many things she'd have liked to say but couldn't, not when she knew that Jeff Tracy and possibly even her father were listening too. When Alan went under the water for a second time she'd panicked, almost dropping the last of the charges. She'd had to stop for a moment to let her pounding heart settle, not sure whether to believe him when he promised her everything was going to be fine. Five minutes, she thought, fixing the last lot of explosives and connecting the timer. Then she started to push the button which would set the countdown. One minute ... Two...

She froze. What if Alan didn't have five minutes? But less than that would mean her chances of getting Virgil away safely would be seriously compromised. She'd die with him, of course - there was no way she'd leave him in order to save herself. Wondering if Alan would ever forgive her, she made up her mind. There was no further change to the timer. Pressing the button to start the countdown, she scrambled back up the access ladder as quickly as she could. It took her almost a minute to get back to the control room where she found Virgil, pale and shaking, leaning against a wall. He took an unsteady step towards her before staggering back, clearly only able to stay upright if he had something to support him.

"T-Tin-Tin?" His eyes weren't focusing properly as he looked at her.

"Come, on, we've got to go." Dashing across, she slipped an arm around him and began to steer him towards the door. Biting back the cry of frustration she wanted to let out at his slow pace, she forced herself to murmur encouragement to him, but soon ran out of breath. He was leaning on her more and more heavily the closer they got to the door, and she knew they weren't going to be able to go much further.

But as it turned out, they couldn't go any further. Behind the door was a high pile of rubble they wouldn't be able to shift any time soon. They were trapped. Tin-Tin glanced at her watch. Thirty seconds to go. She could override the countdown of course, but that would almost certainly condemn Alan and Scott to death.

"Sorry, Virgil," she whispered, lowering him to the floor and crouching down next to him. At least he didn't seem too aware of what was about to happen. Probably for the best, she thought.

Then the charges detonated.

Just like last time the control room shook and the damaged ceiling caved in some more. Tin-Tin clutched onto Virgil's hand tightly, glad of the company in what might be her last moments, even though she hated herself for putting him in danger. Then everything was still again. Tin-Tin barely dared breathe for a moment, let alone open her eyes. Finally though, she allowed herself to believe it really was all over. She'd done it! She left her companion for a moment and hurried over to the space where the window had been, letting out a cry of delight when she saw the wall crumbling away as water rushed out through the huge hole the explosives had made.

"What happened?" Jeff Tracy's voice came over the wrist-comm. "Why did the explosives go off early? Tin-Tin, come in."

"It's alright," she told him. "I set the timer for two minutes. I couldn't risk losing Alan."

"What about losing you?" Alan sounded furious. "Of all the stupid things to do! You could have been killed."

"Well I wasn't. You know, a 'thank you' would be nice. I take it you're not dead either." Tin-Tin couldn't help snapping. She'd known she'd be in trouble with Jeff, but the Tracy brothers did this kind of thing all the time and got away with it. Surely Alan should have understood that she'd had to do what she did in order to save him. She knew he wouldn't have reacted like this if Virgil had been the one to set the timer. Well, he would if she'd been in danger as a result, she thought, but under any other circumstances Alan would have been congratulating his brother on a job well done. Maybe he hadn't changed as much as she'd hoped...

As Jeff interrupted Alan's continued rant, coldly telling her that her actions had been irresponsible and that he'd discuss the matter further at the debriefing, she wondered if she'd just written off her chances of securing the new job for good. On the other hand, of course, he might think a safe backseat role running the engineering side would be just the thing to keep her out of trouble.

"I'm coming up in the Mole now." Gordon's voice cut through the others. "Get ready, Scott."

Sighing with relief, Tin-Tin turned back to Virgil. "You'll be alright now," she told him. "We'll just have to wait for Gordon to pick us up."

Tin-Tin didn't fully relax until Gordon called in to say that he'd picked up two half-frozen, soaking wet brothers and was on his way to collect her and Virgil. It would take a while - the Mole wasn't the easiest to turn underground, but he'd be there as soon as he could. He at least seemed pleased with the outcome and she assured him that the pair of them would be fine.

Virgil definitely seemed to be on the mend, complaining of a headache and double vision, but generally alert even if his thought processes were torturously slow. Tin-Tin told him what she'd done, apologising for putting him in danger, but, after a long pause as he carefully thought it through, he admitted that he'd have done the same.

"Five minutes, guys," Gordon called. "You might want to move away from the door if that's where you still are - I'm a bit worried the vibrations from the Mole might cause the ceiling to collapse."

"Good idea," Tin-Tin said. The rumbling of the Mole's engines was evident now and several showers of debris had already fallen. She managed to pull an unsteady Virgil to his feet and walked him across to the window.

It was just as well they'd heeded Gordon's warning. Even though the aquanaut had informed them that he'd dropped the vehicle to its lowest speed, the vibrations were indeed enough to cause another collapse. This time the whole room seemed to be about to give way and Tin-Tin could think of no other course of action than to half-push, half-drag Virgil through the window. The pilot did his best to help himself but his movements were slow and the deafening roar of falling rock was doing nothing to help his head.

"We've got to get away from here," Tin-Tin said once she'd finished yelling at Gordon. The gantry was wobbling far more than it had earlier, though whether it had been further damaged when the explosives had detonated or when the control room had fallen in, she didn't know. She looked around frantically for some means of escape. The reservoir below them was little more than a third full now, but she still didn't want to risk going anywhere near it.

"This way!" Shoving a stumbling Virgil forward she got them to a ladder some twenty metres away from the control room. The gantry was swaying violently now and it was surely only a matter of moments before it gave way completely. The ladder seemed securely attached to the rock face, apparently leading up to an observation platform. She looked doubtfully at Virgil who, only now realising what she had in mind, painfully raised his head to look upwards. He immediately staggered and Tin-Tin only just caught him as he stumbled backwards towards the edge of the walkway. She knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"You can do this, Virgil," she told him. "Just a few feet up, just to be safe."

Virgil, hampered by his double vision, put out a hand to the first rung, missing it completely the first time. Tin-Tin, thankful that she was small and light, swung herself onto the ladder, working her way to the side, reaching down to catch Virgil's hands and guide them into position.

Scott and Alan were demanding to know what was going on but Tin-Tin didn't have the time or energy to tell them. It was enough to know that they were just a few minutes away. How they were going to get to them she didn't know, but they'd think of something. In the meantime, she had the job of coaxing a fading Virgil up the ladder to safety. They made slow progress but as the gantry collapsed beneath them, smashing against the wall and shattering into pieces as it fell, she got Virgil all the way onto the ladder and up a couple of rungs where he clung on the best he could, resting his head on the cold metal. His hold was precarious, though, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hang onto him if he fell. She reached into the backpack she still wore and pulled out a harness clip. Shifting position until she could reach Virgil's belt, she clipped him onto the ladder, finally allowing herself to relax in the knowledge that he was safe.

Exhaustion suddenly swept over her. She'd seen the boys come home with barely enough energy to get out of their 'birds and up to the lounge, but she'd never really appreciated how physically demanding a rescue could be. Still, she couldn't stay where she was - she barely had any space to hold on and she was practically sitting on Virgil. She'd just go up a few rungs and clip herself on as she'd done with the pilot. Then she could leave the rest to Alan and the others.

"Sorry, Virgil," she muttered as she accidentally kicked him in the ribs as she manoeuvred around him.

"Huh?" Virgil looked up at her blearily. He was barely hanging on to consciousness but Tin-Tin knew that in just a few minutes he'd be safely in the Mole, on his way back to Thunderbird Two and the medical treatment he needed.

How she lost her grip she couldn't say. Maybe it was the distraction of her wrist-comm vibrating as Alan called to let her know that the Mole was about to break through and he'd be with her in just a few minutes. Maybe it was the effort she was making not to hurt Virgil, but as she reached up for the next rung, she missed. One moment she was holding on securely, the next she was falling backwards, one hand clutching frantically at thin air whilst the other began to slip.

_"Virgil!" _

The sheer terror in her voice was enough to snap Virgil out of the daze he'd been in ever since Tin-Tin had got him onto the ladder. His muddled brain managed to make sense of what was going on and he reached out a hand to try to catch hold of the girl before she fell.

But the double-vision made him clumsy. Tin-Tin wasn't where he expected her to be and his fingertips simply brushed against hers.

Then she was gone.

Virgil did the only thing he could do. Babbling some garbled account of what had just happened to the Mole, Thunderbird Five and Base, he fumbled at the harness, his usually nimble fingers refusing to do what he wanted them to do at first. Then he was free. As Scott announced breathlessly that he and the others were on their way and that under no circumstances was he to do what Scott thought he was about to do, Virgil let himself fall off the ladder and into the reservoir.

The shock of hitting the freezing water was enough to jerk him back into full consciousness - just for a moment - and Virgil realised, too late, that he was too weak to do anything other than try to fight the current as it dragged him under. He couldn't help Tin-Tin - he couldn't even see her. All he could do was try to save himself. But he didn't have the strength. He couldn't keep his head above water for long and he felt himself being pulled below the surface.

Then someone grabbed him and pulled him back up. Tin-Tin, he thought, a wave of relief sweeping over him. She was okay.

"Hold on, Virg." It was Gordon's voice. So where was Tin-Tin? Relief was replaced by fear as Virgil realised the girl was still in danger. He tried to speak, to tell Gordon to leave him and go after Tin-Tin, but he couldn't get the words out. He felt himself being fastened into some sort of harness, his feeble attempts to push Gordon away from him and back to the search for the missing girl useless. Then he was out of the water and hanging in mid-air, slowly being pulled upwards. Dazed from the head injury, half-drowned and in shock now as well, it was all too much for him and he felt himself start to slip back into unconsciousness. Then he was being dragged onto a solid surface and he heard Scott's anxious voice. His brother was talking to him, but Virgil didn't know what he was saying. He just lay there, sprawled out, face-down, Scott's hand rubbing soothingly over his back as he gasped for breath. It took him a good few minutes to find the energy to sit up, and when he did, the effort made his head spin again. Scott was muttering something to him, but it wasn't his eldest brother who caught Virgil's attention, it was Alan. He stood at the edge of the wall staring down into the reservoir. He didn't need to say anything - his totally rigid posture made it clear that Gordon still hadn't found Tin-Tin.

Then their wrist-comms sparked into life. Gordon, sounding more panicked than they had ever heard him, ordered them to winch him up.

"He's got her." Alan didn't sound jubilant. They all knew Tin-Tin had been underwater for far too long.

Sure enough, when they pulled her onto the wall they knew at once it was probably too late. Not that it stopped Scott and Gordon from doing their best to revive her. As much as he wanted to, Alan could do nothing to help. His legs gave way and he dropped to the ground beside Virgil. The pilot managed to get an arm around Alan's shoulders but there was nothing else he could do to help his brother.

Finally - Virgil didn't know how long it had been but it seemed like forever - Scott and Gordon sat back, both staring at the girl's body unable to believe what had happened. It was Scott who finally looked up at Alan and shook his head.

For a moment Virgil thought he was six years old again, the desperate cry of despair coming from Scott as the boys were told that their mother was dead. It took him a moment to realise that it was Alan screaming this time and he knew that the sound would haunt his dreams again, just as it had over twenty years earlier. He tried to hold onto Alan but he was pushed away as his brother threw himself at Tin-Tin's body, shaking the girl by the shoulders, begging her to wake up, then, when that didn't work, turning to Scott and Gordon, insisting that they try again to help her. It took both brothers to drag him away, Scott pulling Alan to him and wrapping his arms around him tightly as he told him over and over that it was too late. She was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you to everyone who responded to the last chapter, especially those I couldn't reply to directly: Whirlgirl, Lilyzinha, some french girl and Anon Ymus. _

_I think I've got some explaining to do... When I was writing 'Most Wanted' and Scott was hurt, I wondered if the story could really hold as much tension as I wanted it to, given that all my stories take place in the same timeline so people would know that I wouldn't really kill Scott. Well, of course I couldn't kill him - even though I did briefly consider it - but it got me thinking. I decided that the next story was going to be a death-fic, so then it was a question of deciding who would die. It came down to the Kyranos since I don't tend to do much with either of them. Tin-Tin's death would have the most impact on all the characters, not just Alan (those of you surprised that I was writing an Alan story can see why now) so in the end it had to be her. I wanted it to be as much of a shock to those reading as it was to the characters, hence the focus on the new base and the expansion of International Rescue rather than flagging it up as a tragedy right from the start. _

_Bee_

Chapter Seven

For a long time the brothers just sat there, no one wanting to make the first move in the process of acknowledging Tin-Tin's death and dealing with the consequences. In the end, it was John's increasingly desperate pleas for information that got Scott moving. Forcing himself to get a grip, pushing his feelings aside in a way he'd never had to do before in all his years with the Air Force and International Rescue, he raised his watch to his face before hesitating and looking across to where his youngest brother sat beside the body of the girl he'd loved.

Alan was quiet now. Too quiet, Scott thought, though he couldn't face a repeat of his brother's initial outburst of grief. He lowered his wrist and shifted closer to Gordon.

"I need to tell Base," he murmured.

Gordon, white-faced and tense, nodded. He, too, looked across at Alan. "Not here," he whispered. "Al..."

"I know. I'll go back up. You'll be okay here?"

Scott hadn't thought it possible for his brother to look any more desolate, but Gordon managed it as he murmured, "I'd rather stay here forever than have to tell Kyrano."

It was a sentiment Scott echoed as he strapped himself into one of the harnesses they'd used to reach the reservoir.

Once he was back in the Mole, he took a deep breath and acknowledged his next-youngest brother.

"About time!" John snapped. He'd been going frantic ever since Virgil had called in with an incoherent account of Tin-Tin falling from the ladder. "How is she?"

For all he'd been preparing himself, Scott suddenly found that he couldn't say anything. He couldn't even look at his brother.

"Scott?" John's voice was little more than a whisper and he had to catch hold of the console in front of him in order to stop his legs from giving way. "No... Not Tin-Tin?"

"I'm sorry." Scott had a feeling he'd be saying - and hearing - that phrase a lot over the next few days. "It looks like she hit her head as she fell. She'd been underwater so long by the time Gordon pulled her out..."

"But surely you can do something?" John had found his voice again now and it rose sharply as he insisted that his brother must be mistaken. Tin-Tin couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.

"John... _John!_ Stop it. She's gone. We did all we could but... It was no good."

John's face dipped out of view for a moment. Then he was back, clearly making an effort to hold himself together. John rarely showed emotion and Scott knew just how hard this had hit him.

"How's Alan?" the astronaut asked.

"How do you think?" Scott rubbed a hand over his face for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I need to let Base know."

John studied his brother for a moment, registering how utterly exhausted Scott looked, before coming to one of the hardest decisions of his life. "I'll tell them."

"No, Johnny, this is my job."

"Not this time. You've got enough to deal with down there. Get everyone home, Scott. I'll handle the rest."

Scott knew he should put up a fight. It wasn't just an eldest brother thing; he was the field commander, the one responsible for the well-being of the team. He should be the one to tell his father - to tell _Tin-Tin's _father.

But John was having none of it. Instructing his brother to take care of Alan, he signed off. Scott sighed, appreciating his brother's gesture but refusing to allow him to bear such a burden. Pressing the buttons which would put him through to Base, he raised his watch once more, only to find that it failed to respond.

"John..." Scott swallowed hard, realising what his brother had done. He didn't know if he was angry or relieved. He tried to picture the scene on Tracy Island right about now, but the image was far too painful. Making a conscious effort to push it out of his mind, he turned his attention to the matter of bringing Tin-Tin home.

John had only disconnected his link with Tracy Island, so Scott was able to contact Gordon and instruct him to send Virgil up. His middle brother was soon with him, swaying unsteadily as Scott undid the harness. He'd said nothing since they'd pronounced Tin-Tin dead and Scott knew that as the one who'd been with her at the end, Virgil was going to struggle to deal with what had happened.

"You okay?" Scott asked, snapping his fingers in his brother's face when Virgil just stared blankly at him, unsure whether he should be more worried about the shock or the concussion. "Virg?"

"Yeah." The word was barely audible but Scott was grateful for any response from his brother.

"Okay. Stay put."

Virgil didn't make any protest as Scott sat him down with his back against the wall, watching him anxiously for a moment before calling back down to Gordon. "I'm sending a harness down. Can you get Alan up next?"

Gordon did his best, but Alan refused to be parted from Tin-Tin. In the end, Scott had to go back down with a firm command to Virgil to stay right where he was. Virgil was still staring into space and Scott wasn't even sure his brother had heard him. He hated to leave him alone but his youngest brother needed him more.

No amount of persuasion would get through to Alan and in the end Scott and Gordon were forced to prise his hand away from Tin-Tin's. Scott decided to send the girl up next, figuring that it would be easier to get Alan up to join her than to make him leave her in the place where she'd died. He went up with her, making sure that the two winches started up at the same time, doing his best to stop the girl's limp body from swinging into the wall as she began her final journey home.

When they were all reunited at the top of the reservoir, Scott moved to pick Tin-Tin up but found himself pushed aside by Alan. Wordlessly he took her in his arms, then turned and started to walk. Gordon followed close behind, leaving Scott to pull Virgil to his feet and help his unsteady brother back to the Mole.

* * *

Until the first explosion - the one which had trapped Scott and Alan and injured Virgil - everything had been fine on Tracy Island. Jeff had asked Penny and Parker to join him as he waited for the Thunderbirds to land in Canada and the three discussed the plans for the expansion of International Rescue, with an occasional interruption as Jeff responded to a call from John or Scott. Grandma joined them just as Thunderbird Two approached the danger zone and, as her son turned his full attention to the rescue, she called to Kyrano to bring coffee, clearly pleased to finally have the opportunity to chat to Penny, who spent the next half an hour trying to find an excuse to make her escape. It wasn't that she disliked the old lady's company - far from it. The two of them usually got on well. Grandma loved to hear all about Penny's life back in England and the more scandalous the gossip, the better, as far as the old lady was concerned. But today, all she seemed to want to talk about was Simon Warrington-Farr and he was the last person Penny wanted to think about right now. She'd spent the past few months trying to push Scott Tracy out of her mind and Simon had certainly helped with that, even though she was well aware that his feelings for her were far stronger than hers for him. But of course, coming back to Tracy Island and seeing Scott had just brought back all her old feelings. She knew Grandma was no fool and she was painfully aware that the other woman could see right through her as she tried to speak enthusiastically about her forthcoming skiing trip with the English lord.

When the blast took place everyone was shaken. Penny did her best to pretend to be equally worried about everyone - Virgil, Tin-Tin and Alan as well as Scott - but she certainly hadn't deceived Grandma who, once she knew her grandsons were alive, sat back in satisfaction deciding that there was still hope. Of course, that feeling was only momentary as she learned that Virgil had been hurt and that Scott and Alan weren't faring so well after all. Patting Penny's hand gently, she caught her son's eye and made her way out to the kitchen where she found Kyrano searching through a cupboard.

"I'm afraid there's a problem," she told him, and he calmly put down the jar of spices he had in his hand and followed her back to the lounge.

Parker immediately got out of his chair, but Kyrano refused to take it, insisting that he was happier standing. The chauffeur was struck by his impassive manner whilst he listened to Tin-Tin's voice as she outlined her plan to blow a hole in the wall of the reservoir. He found himself glancing between Kyrano and Jeff Tracy, both fathers clearly concerned about their children and both doing their best not to show it. But only Kyrano seemed genuinely convinced that everything was going to be fine. Jeff was clearly on edge and his relief when Virgil seemed to be recovering was palpable.

When Tin-Tin set off the explosives early, a myriad of emotions passed over Jeff's face whilst Kyrano simply smiled, catching his friend's eye for a moment as Jeff told the girl off for her failure to follow procedure. Jeff nodded back at him, the hint of a smile appearing as he acknowledged Kyrano's unspoken suggestion that his boys would have done exactly the same thing.

When all seemed well and Scott and Alan were about to board the Mole, Kyrano informed them that he'd be getting back to work. "The boys will be hungry when they return," he commented, turning towards the kitchen.

"Kyrano," Jeff called.

"Yes, Mr Tracy?"

"She did well."

"Indeed. I am very proud of my daughter, as you are your sons."

With that he was gone, leaving the others to smile at what was, for Kyrano, an unusually effusive response.

Penny had just suggested to Parker that they make the most of their visit to Tracy Island and take a stroll along the beach, when Tin-Tin's voice came over the radio, frantically informing Gordon that the control room was about to fall in on her and Virgil.

"Should I get Kyrano?" Grandma asked, rising to her feet.

"Wait a moment," her son instructed, breaking into a smile as Tin-Tin berated Gordon before frowning again as she announced that the gantry was unstable and she didn't have much time to get herself and Virgil to safety.

"Good girl." Jeff let out the breath he'd been holding when Tin-Tin informed them that she and Virgil were safe. "You see," he said, turning to his mother. "Everything's fine. There was no need to worry Kyrano. That girl's-"

Then Virgil's voice came through, slurred and confused, yet with such an edge of panic that Jeff immediately shoved his chair away and jumped to his feet.

"M'hissus Tracy?" Parker moved to catch Grandma as she swayed.

"I'm alright, dear," Grandma told him, though she didn't let go of the tight grip she had on his hand. "Jeff, what's happening?"

"I don't know. John, what's going on?"

John's worried face appeared in place of his portrait. "Nothing from Tin-Tin or Virgil. The Mole's just breaking through. Scott will call us as soon as he knows anything."

"Kyrano?" Penny asked.

"I'll go." Jeff cast a last anxious look at the row of portraits on the wall before heading off to the kitchen. He'd been on the receiving end of bad news so many times when it came to his sons, but this was the first time he'd been the one who had to break it. Tin-Tin would be fine, he thought. His boys would make sure of that. Right now Alan was probably doing something stupidly heroic to save the day...

As he entered the kitchen, he froze. Kyrano was standing in the middle of the room and as Jeff watched, the bowl in his hand clattered to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. The man didn't seem to notice.

"Kyrano?" Jeff took a step towards him and Kyrano registered his presence for the first time.

"Mr Tracy?" He looked down at the mess on the floor and blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry. For a moment I felt..."

"What?"

Kyrano hesitated. "I'm not sure." He looked at his employer. "Is something wrong?"

Jeff nodded. "Tin-Tin... she fell."

Kyrano nodded slowly. "I see. Yes, I understand now."

Jeff stared at him uncertainly. There were times he simply didn't understand his friend and this was one of them. How he could be so calm when his daughter was in desperate trouble he didn't know. "Come back to the lounge. There might be some news by now."

But it was another five minutes before John came through. He managed just a few words before stopping, swallowing hard before trying again.

Kyrano gently pushed Jeff away - the man had kept a strong hand on his shoulder all the way from the kitchen - and took a step towards John. "Do not distress yourself, Mister John," he said softly. "My Tin-Tin is gone."

He barely registered the gasp from Grandma or Penny's hurried instruction to Parker to catch the old lady before she fell, instead keeping his eyes locked on John's as the younger man nodded numbly.

"I'm so sorry, Kyrano," he said. "The guys did all they could but..."

"Sit down, Kyrano," Jeff said, guiding the man to the couch, trying to process what he'd just been told.

"Thank you." Kyrano sat down. Jeff's hand was back on his friend's shoulder but he didn't know what to say. All he could think about was that the thing he'd dreaded from the start, the loss of an International Rescue operative on a mission, had finally come to pass. But it wasn't one of his five sons who'd been lost, it was Kyrano's only child. It seemed so unfair, and yet, as much as he pitied the other man, the dominant emotion he felt right now was relief that his boys were safe - and he hated himself for it.

"Jeff?" Penny's voice was shaken and her eyes were tearful. "Your mother isn't well."

He looked across to where Grandma sat, her face grey and her breath coming in ragged bursts. He wanted to go to her, but the way he was shaking he thought his legs would probably give way the moment he stood up. He couldn't bring himself to leave Kyrano right now, anyway. "Call Brains," he said, then closed his eyes for a moment as he pictured the man's reaction to the news. He'd adored Tin-Tin - she'd probably been the only woman his own age he'd been able to hold a coherent conversation with. This was going to destroy him.

"I'll go," Penny said. "Parker, stay here."

Parker's "Yes, Milady," was lost as his voice cracked.

Scott's portrait flickered into life. His eyes met his father's for a moment, both taking in the other's shattered expression.

"We're ready to bring the Mole back up," he said, and the flat, shaken tone was one Jeff had never heard before. "Kyrano, I'm so sorry. We tried, really we did, but..."

"It was not your fault, Mister Scott. None of you are to blame yourselves."

"Thank you, Kyrano," Jeff muttered before raising his voice so that his son could hear him. "Come home, Scott."

FA-"

"But Mr Tracy, are there not other people awaiting rescue?"

Jeff stared at Kyrano. The man had just lost his daughter and he could still think of the mission? It had slipped Jeff's mind completely that there were other people relying on his boys to save them. Finally he turned back to Scott. His son's expression seemed to suggest that he, too, had forgotten about the other victims - and that the thought of continuing with the rescue wasn't appealing.

"I-I don't know. Virg doesn't look too well and Alan..."

"Please, Mister Scott. My daughter wanted to help those people. She should not die for nothing."

"We don't even know if they're still alive."

"But there may be a chance. You must take it."

"Can you do it, Scott?" Jeff wanted nothing more than to bring his sons home right now, but he couldn't bring himself to deny Kyrano this one request.

"I guess so. I'll talk to the guys."

"Thank you, Mister Scott." As Scott's vid-link shut down, Kyrano pushed Jeff's hand away and got to his feet.

"Kyrano?"

"I would like a moment to myself if you don't mind, Mr Tracy."

"Of course." Jeff didn't know what to say. Anyone else would be beside themselves with grief, maybe even blaming the person who'd set up the organisation which had ended up killing their child, but Kyrano was looking at him with nothing but sympathy.

"It is alright, Mr Tracy. Do not blame yourself. These things are meant to be."

And with that he was gone, making his way out onto the terrace that ran around the house.

Jeff turned his attention to his mother. She was crying now and he couldn't help feeling relieved. At least she no longer looked as if she was about to have a heart attack.

Then Scott was reporting in again. "Gordon's going to take the Mole down to the survivors - if there are any. I'll get the others back to Two."

"FAB, son. Thank you."

* * *

The news that the rescue was to continue hadn't gone down well. Gordon had accepted it easily enough, nodding tiredly and admitting that he too had forgotten about the men that Scott and Alan had been trying to free. "I guess we don't have a choice," he said. "But what about...?" He looked back at Alan, sitting on the floor beside Tin-Tin.

"One of us will have to stay with them," Scott said.

"You do it." There was real desperation in Gordon's voice. "I can't, Scott. I don't know what to say to him. He always used to say that I didn't understand about him and Tin-Tin, that all I ever did was tease him. You were the one he went to. And Virg needs you too. Please?"

"Okay," Scott sighed. "Let's get it over with, then."

Gordon prepared to return the Mole to Thunderbird Two as Scott, making a conscious effort to pull himself together, got out and headed back to Mobile Control, assuring the anxious scientists who had been waiting for news that everything was under control. He knew he didn't sound like his usual, calm, collected self, but he hoped his dishevelled appearance - his uniform was torn after his fall and he was covered in bruises and scrapes - would convince them that he'd had a tough time of it and was just reacting to that. He couldn't say a word about Tin-Tin, knowing that the authorities would insist on taking charge of the body. He stayed there long enough to give a brief progress report before heading back to the pod where Gordon was helping Virgil out of the Mole. Scott took over the task of supporting his brother, trying to get him to talk but with little success. He looked up as Alan, Tin-Tin in his arms once again, emerged from the Mole.

"Take care, Gords," Scott told his brother. The last thing he wanted was for them to be separated again, but he knew there was no choice. Gordon just nodded and headed back inside the Mole. A moment later the vehicle was on its way again and Scott turned his attention to getting the others up to sickbay.

The usual procedure when transporting a body was to place it in a body bag, but even the thought of that made Scott shudder. Instead he picked up a sheet, moving towards the bed where Alan had laid Tin-Tin, but as he made to draw it over her face his brother reached out and pushed him away. He said nothing, instead arranging the sheet neatly around her shoulders, before reaching under it to pull out her hand. Once again he clasped it in both of his, his eyes never leaving her face.

Virgil was just as still and silent as Alan, only managing the briefest of responses to Scott's questions, though at least his answers made sense. Scott thought he'd recover quickly - from the head injury at least. He picked up a penlight to check him out further, but when he realised that his hand was shaking so much that Virgil wouldn't have been able to follow his movements even if he wasn't concussed, he gave up. His brother was shivering and Scott wrapped a blanket around his shoulders before doing the same for Alan, realising that all three of them were still soaking wet. Turning the heat up higher he took a seat next to Virgil and prayed that Gordon would hurry up and make it back so they could finally be on their way.

In the end it took Gordon more than an hour to complete the rescue. The first group of men had been easy enough to pick up, but Kyrano had then insisted that he try to find the last set of victims, the ones they'd been convinced had no chance of survival. Gordon, backed up by Scott and John, had tried to argue this point, but Kyrano had been unusually forceful as he refused to allow him to give up. In the end, Jeff had put an end to the discussion, announcing that if Kyrano wanted the attempt to be made, Gordon should get on with it.

Gordon had thought the whole thing pointless. The fire was still raging in that part of the complex and the chances of finding any bodies, let alone survivors, was so slight as to be virtually nil. But if it helped Kyrano for him to try, he'd do it. Even so, the long journey down to the lowest levels of the complex had been one of the most miserable of his life. He'd never felt so lost and lonely, even though John kept in contact with him all the way there. He couldn't believe they'd lost Tin-Tin. How Alan would cope, he didn't know. In fact, he didn't know how any of them were going to get over it.

When he arrived at his destination and found that by some miracle two men were still alive - weak and exhausted to be sure, but alive all the same - he couldn't believe it. He just hoped the news would help Kyrano and give a little more meaning to his daughter's death.

He got the men into the Mole, handing out bottles of water and blankets, then turning back to lock the door. When one of the men began to complain bitterly about the long wait for rescue and the fact that International Rescue was clearly overrated if this was the best they could do, Gordon took a deep breath, reminded himself that the man had been in desperate fear for his life and had no idea what had happened to cause the delay. Then he snapped back at him anyway, informing him that if he didn't sit down and shut up he'd find himself thrown out of the Mole and left to fend for himself. Ignoring the surprised look he got in response, he returned to the pilot's seat and began the journey back up to the surface, saying nothing else, not even acknowledging the second man's attempts to apologise for his friend's comments.

It was a relief to kick the pair out and make his way back to Thunderbird Two. When he reached sickbay he was surprised to find Scott on his knees picking up various pieces of medical equipment that were scattered over the floor.

"What happened," he asked.

"Alan."

Gordon looked over at his youngest brother. He was still sitting beside Tin-Tin but the grip on her hand was loose now and he was slumped sideways in his seat, held in place by the safety straps.

"I should have left him alone," Scott said slowly. "But I was worried about Virgil and I wanted Alan to keep an eye on him during the flight home. I thought it might help him to have something else to think about. It took me ages to get him to focus on me, then just as I did, John told me you'd found survivors. He had a bit of a meltdown - kicked the trolley over, ranted about how unfair it was that those guys had survived when Tin-Tin didn't..." He grew silent for a moment and Gordon knew that Scott had been thinking exactly the same thing. He understood completely.

"Anyway, I got him calmed down," Scott said, trying to recover his usual air of capability. "Gave him some tea for the shock. I slipped a small dose of sedative in there in case he kicked off again during the flight."

"Good idea," Gordon agreed, having been worried about how he'd cope if anything happened whilst he was trying to fly.

"Virg will be okay, I think," Scott continued, glancing over towards their middle brother. "He knows he's got to stay awake. Johnny and Dad are going to keep him talking. How about you, Gords? You alright?"

"No," Gordon admitted. "You?"

Scott didn't answer. "Come on," he finally said. "Let's get going. I'll pace you back."

Gordon nodded. "Yeah. I'll step on it. We shouldn't make Kyrano wait any longer than he has to." He didn't realise he hadn't moved, that he was still staring at Tin-Tin's body, until Scott's hand on his shoulder roused him.

"Come on," Scott said softly. "Let's take her home."


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks to everyone who responded to the last chapter. Whirlgirl, thank you so much for the lovely review. I loved your image of Scott - you'd write a wonderful TB story. Anon Ymus, I'm really glad you liked it, thank you._

Chapter Eight

Unless a rescue was in progress, Tracy Island wasn't exactly a hive of activity. But never before had time seemed to stand as still as it did now whilst they awaited the return of the Thunderbirds. Despite Gordon's promise to push Thunderbird Two as hard as he could, there would still be a good hour before Tin-Tin came home.

Jeff wanted - _needed_ - to be doing something, but for once in his life, he didn't know what. When a son was injured he'd keep the worry from overwhelming him by barking orders to Brains to ready the infirmary, by keeping in touch with John and demanding updates from those out on the rescue. But this time there was no medical equipment to set up, no anxious wait for news, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

The worst had already happened.

He wasn't an emotionally demonstrative man - he'd spent much of his life masking his feelings with an air of professional detachment - but, as he looked around the lounge at the other occupants, he wished he could just get over his inhibitions and give them a little physical comfort. Penny was sitting with his mother, something he knew should be his job. The old lady had stopped crying some time ago, but she looked tired and ill. She'd aged ten years since news of Tin-Tin's death had come through and Jeff had a sudden misgiving that she wouldn't get through this. He started to get up from his desk to go to her, then, as Parker came back into the lounge, sat down once more.

"How is Brains?" Penny asked, smiling sadly as Parker informed her that he'd taken himself down to the lab to find some means of distraction. She couldn't get the genius's reaction to the news out of her head. When she'd gone into his room to tell him, he'd been completely thrown by her appearance. Penny had hoped he'd been listening in, or that John would already have called him - anything rather than have to break the news herself - but he'd cut off the transmissions once it appeared that all was well, engrossing himself in some scientific text book, comfortably settled in his bed and totally unaware of the fact that his world was about to come crashing down around him.

Penny had been in plenty of unpleasant situations over the years, but that had been one of the worst of them. There was no gentle way to break the news and, sure enough, Brains had been devastated. She had offered to stay with him but he'd refused. Speaking surprisingly coherently given his obvious grief, clearly fighting to stay in control as long as she was there, he'd asked her to leave him alone and reluctantly she'd done so. She'd paused outside his door for a moment, her own tears beginning to fall again as she heard Brains start to cry.

Kyrano was in Tin-Tin's room. Parker had found him in the kitchen when he'd gone to make tea for everyone. To Parker's surprise, he was busily clearing up the mess that he'd made earlier. Parker had tried to take over the job, but the man had quietly but emphatically refused his help. Parker had left him alone whilst he finished, but then, when Kyrano started gathering ingredients apparently in readiness to prepare dinner, he'd stepped in again. Kyrano had insisted that he be allowed to do his job. The boys would be hungry, he'd said, and no amount of pleading on the part of Parker could stop him. In the end Parker had gone to find Jeff, and the pair had returned to the kitchen to find Kyrano standing at the counter pouring rice into a bowl. The bowl had long since overflowed and the rice was piling up around it, but Kyrano didn't seem to notice. Jeff gently took the packet out of his hand and, when the man finally became aware of his surroundings again, tried to steer him towards the door. But Kyrano continued to insist that the boys would need something to eat when they returned. In the end, it was Parker who put an end to the argument, promising that he'd fix dinner. The chauffeur was glad to have something to do - he'd always had a soft spot for Tin-Tin and he'd openly cried for her. If it made Kyrano feel better to know there'd be a dinner for the boys, then a dinner there would be, even though Parker was sure that no one would want to eat it. The lump in his own throat right now made him certain that if he tried to eat anything he'd choke, and he knew there were others feeling a lot worse than him.

Finally the 'birds came in to land. Scott hovered above the island, watching as Gordon brought Thunderbird Two down and manoeuvred her into her hangar. Only when the hangar door began to close did he bring his own 'bird home. He shut down the engines then leaned back in his seat, dreading leaving the sanctuary of Thunderbird One. It wasn't as though he hadn't been aware that there could be a moment like this - he and his father, at the very start of International Rescue, had sat in Jeff's study one evening with a bottle of whiskey in front of them, and had discussed this very possibility. It hadn't been an easy or a pleasant conversation, but it had been a necessary one, one which his father had repeated with all his sons. Scott knew that in his father's safe sat a collection of envelopes in which all the brothers had placed instructions for what they wanted done in the event of their deaths. He wondered if Kyrano had asked Tin-Tin to do the same. Probably not, he thought. Kyrano had a habit of expecting things to turn out for the best and, up till now, he'd been right. Scott wondered what this would do to him. Surely he couldn't go on in the same way?

"Scott?" The voice belonged to Gordon. "You coming out?"

"Yeah. What's going on there?"

"Dad and Kyrano are coming down. Guess I should go and meet them."

"FAB."

Scott ran a hand over the controls of One once more, wishing he could just blast off and get as far away from this nightmare as he could. Instead, he dutifully got to his feet and set off for the house, for the first time in his life scared of what he was about to face.

Gordon made his way up to sickbay. It was a surprise when he found Virgil sitting outside, his knees pulled up to his chest and his head resting on his folded arms. Almost relieved that he had an excuse not to go into the room and witness Alan's grief once again, he dropped to his knees beside his brother.

"Virg?"

Virgil raised his head and looked at Gordon for the briefest of moments before dropping his eyes again.

"Couldn't stay in there," he said, so softly that his brother had to strain to hear him. "Couldn't look at her."

"Have you been sitting there all through the flight?" Gordon asked. He'd never seen Virgil look so lost before - and his brother had been through some terrible times over the years.

"Yeah. Al was... couldn't face it."

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor and Gordon quickly pulled Virgil to his feet. His father didn't need any more worry right now. And as for Kyrano... Gordon dreaded seeing the man.

As the footsteps grew closer, Gordon recognised his father's steady step along with Kyrano's soft, barely-there tread. But there was a third person with them and he knew from the slight shuffle of that person's feet that it had to be Parker. Sure enough, as the three figures appeared, Parker brought up the rear and Gordon guessed, with a slightly sick feeling, that he'd been charged with bringing up the body whilst his father dealt with Alan. He wondered if he should offer to help, but there was Virgil to look after and Gordon just wanted to get him up to the house.

Kyrano murmured something about being glad the brothers were back safely, thanking them for doing what they could for Tin-Tin. Before Gordon could say anything in return - Virgil clearly didn't have any words in him - the man was gone, stepping through the door to the sickbay with only a momentary hesitation.

Jeff paused to check on Virgil, squeezing his son's shoulder before doing the same to Gordon. Then he went after Kyrano, leaving Parker standing awkwardly at the door.

"I'll get Virg up to the infirmary," Gordon said, as Parker nodded sadly, his red-rimmed eyes conveying his feelings more than any words could. Gordon started to walk Virgil down the corridor, only for him to pull away.

"No," he said. "Not there."

Parker caught Gordon's eye, his face full of understanding.

"H'it's h'alright, Mister Virgil. Kyrano wants Miss Tin-Tin taken to 'er room."

Another reminder that there was nothing that could be done for the girl now. Gordon nodded sadly and Virgil gave up the fight, sagging against his brother and not making any further protest as Gordon got him moving down the corridor to the elevator. Parker watched them go before forcing himself to enter the sickbay.

The sight that greeted him was as terrible as he'd expected it to be. Kyrano had taken the seat Alan had reluctantly vacated - pulled out of it by his father. Jeff was trying to get him out of the room, telling him that Kyrano needed some time alone with his daughter, but Alan was having none of it, making a feeble but determined effort to get away from his father and back to Tin-Tin.

Parker hovered nearby, ready to step in if he was needed, but unwilling to do anything to distress Alan further. Jeff seemed to have it under control - the sedative Scott had administered was still having an effect and the young man's movements were clumsy, his words slurred. Jeff didn't need any help in steering him away towards the door, inclining his head to Parker as he did so, clearly indicating that they should leave Kyrano be.

Parker had to admit he was relieved to leave the sickbay. He shut the door behind him then flinched at Alan's moan of distress as he was finally cut off from Tin-Tin.

"Come on, son," Jeff murmured. "Let's get you upstairs. Parker, you'll wait here?"

Parker sniffed and nodded. He watched as Jeff supported Alan as they made their way down the corridor, much as Gordon had done for Virgil. He'd never seen the Tracys look so vulnerable before and that, as much as the tragedy which had hit them, upset him more than he could say. He took up a position beside the door - not too close, since he could hear Kyrano's soft voice as he began to talk to his daughter and he had no wish to intrude upon the man's privacy - then settled down to wait, hoping Kyrano wouldn't be too long, yet dreading the moment he emerged and asked that Tin-Tin finally be taken home.

* * *

When, later that evening, Tin-Tin lay in her room, her father keeping a vigil beside her body, everyone else left them in peace. Grandma had been in - just for a minute, before things got too much for her - along with Penny. The only person who hadn't made an appearance was Brains. He was back in his lab after checking over Virgil in the infirmary, responding mechanically whenever anyone called him to see if he was okay. He'd promised he'd come to pay his respects eventually, but everyone knew that it would be a long time before he could bring himself to do it, especially if there was anyone else around to witness his distress.

Grandma had resisted Penny's attempts to get her to lie down, instead insisting she'd keep an eye on Virgil. Her grandson was currently asleep, and the old lady, as much as she pitied him for his injury and the tragedy he'd witnessed, which she knew was going to be so hard for him to get over, couldn't help envying him right now. She doubted anyone else was going to get much rest that night.

Whilst Gordon took solace in his swimming, forcing his exhausted body up and down the pool long after he'd lost count of the number of lengths he'd swum, Scott sat with Alan, listening to his brother talk about Tin-Tin until finally he fell into a restless sleep from which he awoke every now and again, only to have the shock hit him once more.

Jeff spent the night discussing the next step with John. A death certificate would need to be obtained, but they needed this to be done as discreetly as possible. They could claim, easily enough, that she'd fallen from a cliff, hitting her head before drowning in the sea, but questions would be raised during the autopsy as to why her lungs were full of freshwater rather than seawater. They couldn't risk an investigation, not if International Rescue was to maintain its secrecy. Not that Jeff particularly cared anymore - right now he didn't know if he even wanted to carry on - but John insisted that Tin-Tin wouldn't have wanted him to give up. In the end it was agreed that John should do a little computer hacking in order to falsify the records and procure the necessary documentation that Kyrano would need to organise the funeral.

Jeff hated doing it. He felt it diminished Tin-Tin's death - that the world should know how bravely she'd died - but there was no other option. He apologised to John once again for the delay in bringing him down from Five. Alan obviously wasn't going to be able to fly Three, and Scott and Brains were in no fit state to do so just yet. John had quickly agreed to wait - too quickly - and Jeff knew his son was relieved he was able to stay up on the space station. It wasn't that he didn't grieve for Tin-Tin - Jeff could clearly see how devastated he was - but John didn't cope well with extreme displays of emotion and his father knew that he was dreading coming back to the island and having to deal first-hand with the grief-stricken members of the family.

When he signed off, he sat back in his chair, wearily running a hand over his tired eyes. Whenever he'd been stressed in the past, Kyrano had been there at his side, offering him support along with coffee, reassuring him that it was all worth it.

Jeff wondered if he still felt the same way.

* * *

Virgil awoke the next morning with a headache. He opened his eyes, immediately wondering why he was in the infirmary. Then it hit him and he felt a wave of misery such as he hadn't felt since the death of his mother, wash over him.

"How are you feeling?"

It was Scott, looking like he hadn't slept all night.

Virgil shrugged in response. "Really happened, huh?"

Scott smiled sadly. "Yeah. You didn't answer my question."

"How am I feeling? Lousy. You?"

"The same. But I don't have a concussion. Brains will be along to check you out soon."

"How's he taking it?"

"Not so well. Listen, Virg, if you're up to it, Dad wants a debriefing."

Virgil stared at his brother. The last thing he wanted was to relive what had happened.

"I know how you feel. It's the last thing I want, too. But Kyrano's been asking..."

"Oh." Virgil could hardly refuse the father's wish to find out exactly how and why his daughter had died.

"But if you don't feel up to it, he'll understand."

"No." Virgil slowly sat up and swung his legs out of the bed. "Let's get it over with."

"But Brains-"

"I'll see him later."

"Okay." Scott hovered over his brother until he was certain he was steady on his feet. "Go and get dressed. Be down in the lounge in half an hour."

"Sure." Virgil made his way slowly to the infirmary door then hesitated. It was usually a place he couldn't wait to get out of, but right now he wished he could stay there forever. Just go back to bed, pull the covers over his head and hide away from the guilt he felt and the blame he knew he deserved.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jeff, Scott and Gordon sat in the lounge. No one spoke, they just cast surreptitious looks at each other, thinking how terrible everyone looked and guessing that they looked just as bad.

"Is Al coming?" Gordon asked.

"No," Scott said. "He's still asleep."

"We thought it might be easier to do this without him," Jeff said, and Gordon couldn't help feeling relieved.

Virgil came in at that moment and Scott and Gordon shifted a little to make room between them on the couch. Virgil sat down and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Are you up to this, son?" Jeff asked. "We could leave it till later. I'm sure Kyrano would understand."

"No!" Virgil's tone was sharper than he'd expected - sharper than he'd believed possible given how utterly exhausted he felt right now. His headache was getting worse but he just wanted to get this over with.

Jeff was saved from replying by Kyrano's arrival.

"Mrs Tracy is with my daughter," he informed them. "I do not want to leave either of them for long, but I would like to know..." He tailed off and looked around at them steadily. "Please remember that I do not blame anyone. But my daughter's last moments... I have to know."

"Thank you, Kyrano." Jeff called John up on screen and the debrief began. They'd just got to the point where Tin-Tin had detonated the explosives when the door opened and Alan came in, still in the clothes he'd worn the night before. He looked around at them all before taking a seat.

"Started without me, then," he said bitterly.

"We thought you were asleep," Scott said.

"I woke up."

There was silence for a moment before Alan said impatiently, "So where did you get to?"

They carried on, Scott answering his father's questions about his and Alan's role in the disaster. For his part, Alan just sat there, barely reacting to anything that was said. But all that changed when Virgil began to relate what had happened in the last moments of Tin-Tin's life, his voice low and uncertain.

"She got me on the ladder," he told them. "And then... I don't know. I didn't feel so good. I didn't really know what was going on. She was trying to get higher up, I know that. But..." He stared at his hands, unable to meet anyone's eye. "Did I do something to make her fall? Did I move? Knock her off balance? I don't know. I wish I could remember but it's just a blur. She called my name, I remember that, and I knew I had to help her but I couldn't get the clip undone. I tried, really I did, but my fingers wouldn't work and I knew she was in trouble, but-"

"Okay, Virg." Both Scott and Gordon spoke at once. Virgil took a deep breath before carrying on.

"When I got free, I jumped, but I couldn't help her. I couldn't even help myself. I'm sorry. I should have done what Scott said and stayed where I was. Gordon wasted time rescuing me when he should have been looking for Tin-Tin. Kyrano... Alan... I'm so sorry."

Kyrano began to speak, but he stopped suddenly as Alan got to his feet and walked away without a word.

"Alan?" Jeff was on his feet, chasing after his son.

Gordon and Scott exchanged worried looks as Virgil buried his face in his hands. "He blames me, doesn't he?"

"No." Scott had never sounded less convincing. "I told you, Virg. The head injury... there was no way she'd have survived. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Mister Scott is right," Kyrano said. "Thank you for trying to help, Mister Virgil."

Virgil looked up at him miserably. He appreciated Kyrano's words, but then he'd never expected anything else from the man. The one person he'd really needed reassurance from had instead just confirmed his belief that even if it wasn't his fault - and Virgil still wasn't convinced of that - Alan certainly believed it was.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry it's a little late - the words just didn't want to come out. I have to thank Loopstagirl for stopping me having a complete meltdown over this one - couldn't have done it without you!_

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially those I can't reply to. _

Chapter Nine

Jeff followed his youngest son down the steps to the beach, wishing there was something he could say to make him feel better but knowing full well from his own experience that it just wasn't possible. By the time he reached Alan, the young man was standing at the water's edge, staring out across the ocean.

"Son?"

Alan didn't turn around. "Leave me alone, Dad."

"I'm worried about you. The way you reacted at the debriefing..." Jeff wasn't entirely certain if it was wise to broach the subject right now, but he was even more scared of leaving things to fester. Alan's reaction to Vigil's words suggested he held his brother responsible, something Jeff, Kyrano and everyone else except the two brothers concerned knew to be untrue. Jeff had spent some time with Virgil the night before, trying to reassure him of this, but he knew Virgil would never accept it unless Alan was the one to say it. Not even Kyrano's assurances had helped.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I know, but-"

Alan spun round and Jeff was taken aback by the anger in his eyes. "I mean it, Dad. I can't. It hurts too much, okay?"

"I know how you feel, son." It was true - Jeff had always avoided thinking about the day Lucy died and the empty void which his life had become immediately afterwards, but the memories had come flooding back the moment he'd learned of Tin-Tin's death and realised its implications for his son. Even now, over twenty years later, the feeling of grief had been so sharp that he'd physically felt the pain.

"No you don't!"

Jeff stared at Alan in surprise. But before he could speak, Alan went on.

"You _don't_ know how I feel. You had twelve years with Mom. You got married, you had five kids, you've got all the memories of the things you did together. I don't have any of that. All I've got are thoughts of what might have been. You don't have any idea what I'm going through right now."

Jeff didn't have an answer for that and he had to admit his son had a good point. He stood silently by whilst Alan picked up a pebble and hurled it out into the sea. He waited a few minutes, then, when Alan suddenly sat down in the sand, decided to have another go at getting through to him. But before he could say anything, his watch alerted him to a call from Scott and he moved away a little so he could talk freely.

"How's it going?" Scott asked.

"Not good. How are things at the house?"

"Horrible. I tried to talk to Virg but he said he had a headache and went back to bed. I was going to go after him but then Grandma came in with a vase of Tin-Tin's favourite flowers. Her hands were shaking so much that she dropped it, and now she's sitting in the corner crying."

"Okay, son. I'll come back up." Jeff didn't want to leave Alan but Scott looked like he'd had about as much as he could take, an unusual state of affairs for his capable eldest son.

Scott seemed to register his father's concern, taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "No, Dad. Gordon's looking after her. That's not why I'm calling. I wanted to let you know that the air ambulance is on its way to pick up Tin-Tin. Whatever Johnny did to make it official seems to have worked. They'll be here in an hour."

"That soon?"

Scott looked uncomfortable. "Yeah. They said it was a priority. Tropical island and all that..."

"Oh, I see." Jeff felt suddenly sick. "I guess I'll have to tell Alan." The discussion about the rescue would have to wait, he thought. Now he had a much harder job to do. "Do me a favour and pack a bag for me, will you, Scott? I promised Kyrano I'd go with him."

"Sure, Dad. What about one for Alan?"

"Let me see what he wants to do. I'll get back to you."

Jeff signed off then approached Alan again, sitting down next to his son and putting an arm around his shoulders.

"It's time to say goodbye, son."

"Huh?" Alan turned to him in confusion.

"To Tin-Tin. They'll be taking her away soon."

"What?" Alan looked utterly bewildered. "Taking her where?"

"Malaysia."

"But this is her home. This is where she should be. There's a place we used to go on the other side of the island... She loved it. She'd want to be there."

"Did she tell you that, son?" Jeff asked gently.

"No, of course not. You think we ever talked about something like this happening to her? She's not going to Malaysia, Dad. I want her here with me."

"Alan, Kyrano wants her laid to rest with her mother."

"What about what I want?"

"He's her father."

"And I'm nobody?"

"Alan, don't." Jeff tried to tighten his hold on his son but Alan shook him off and jumped to his feet.

"She doesn't..." He swallowed and tried again. "_Didn't_... She didn't believe in half the things Kyrano does. All that mystical crap. This is all for him, isn't it? It's nothing to do with Tin-Tin."

"Alan, that's not fair."

"None of this is fair, Dad."

"I know. But he's made his decision. I'm going to Malaysia with him to help get things organised. Do you want to come?"

"What's the point?" Alan mumbled. " I'm not going to get a say in anything, am I?"

Jeff wasn't sure if what he was about to say next would go down well, but when he'd discussed all this with Kyrano earlier, the man had had one suggestion for Alan's involvement and Jeff felt bound to carry out his friend's wishes. "Kyrano wondered if you'd like to pick out something for her to wear."

Alan stared at him incredulously. "Something to _wear_? I don't know. How am I supposed to decide something like that? Ask Penny, I'm sure she'll be able to tell you what all the best-dressed girls are wearing to their funerals..."

"Alan, stop it!" Jeff grabbed his son's arm, only for Alan to pull away as he continued his rant against Kyrano. "Son, you need to calm down. You can't say any of this to him. I know you're hurting, but so is he."

"Oh don't worry, I won't say anything to him. What would be the point? I'd get more reaction from that rock over there. He hasn't even cried for her, has he?"

"You know Kyrano's not-"

Alan cut across his father. "Oh, tell him to do what he likes. It doesn't matter anyway. Nothing matters now."

"Son..."

"Go away, Dad."

"I can't leave you in this state, Alan."

Alan was clearly making an effort to keep some control, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Dad, please, leave me be. I'll be okay. I know you mean well, I just need to be alone for a while."

"There's not much time before the plane arrives. If you want to see her..."

"Please, Dad, go on back. I just need a little time alone. Then I'll say goodbye."

Jeff didn't like it, but he remembered his own experiences all too well. He, too, had found the sympathy of those around him too much to take, retreating to the sanctuary of his study where he could let it all out in private. He gripped his son's shoulder for a moment then turned to make his way back to the house, looking back every now and then, unable to decide if he was worried or reassured by the way Alan seemed frozen in place, still staring out at the sea.

* * *

Two hours later it was all over. Penny sat on the terrace watching as the plane carrying Tin-Tin's body disappeared into the sky. It had been a difficult time. Brains had finally been coaxed out of his lab to say his farewells to the girl and his despair had been painful to witness. However, it had been nothing compared to Alan's breakdown. The young man was still in Tin-Tin's room, his grandmother and eldest brother doing their best to comfort him in the absence of his father. Jeff had charged her with keeping an eye on his family whilst he was away with Kyrano, making her promise to tell him of any problems, even if Scott insisted he was better off not knowing. Penny had given her word, even though she knew she'd find it almost impossible to argue with Scott.

Her phone rang and she reached for it in annoyance, expecting it to be Simon once again. She immediately felt bad - the man had been nothing other than understanding and sympathetic, immediately agreeing that they should cancel their skiing trip so that Penny could stay to help out her friends. He'd called her several times since, obviously concerned about her, but each call just made Penny feel even worse about leading him on. He was a good man, but he wasn't Scott. Of course, each time that thought crossed her mind she just felt guilty. How could she even think such a thing at a time like this?

But it wasn't Simon, it was her contact at MI5 offering her a new mission. Penny refused, of course, but the man was persistent and it took her a good ten minutes to persuade him that this time he'd need to find someone else. It was a relief to end the call and she couldn't help muttering some highly unladylike comments about men who wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Simon?"

It was Scott. Penny jumped and blushed, furious with herself for caring about the casual way Scott mentioned the other man's name.

"No, Scott. MI5."

"What did they want?" He was still hopeful that the people who'd stolen Thunderbird Four would be captured.

Penny told him about the mission she'd been offered.

"Sounds dangerous."

"The danger doesn't concern me, Scott. I'm more than capable of handling it."

"I know you are, Penny. It's just... well, we've lost Tin-Tin, we wouldn't be able to handle losing you too."

Penny had to turn away. He saw her as a friend, nothing more, she reminded herself. Any one of the Tracys would have said the same.

"I turned it down," she told him. "I think I could be more help here and, to be honest, Scott, right now my heart's not in it. I wouldn't want to be a liability to the other agents."

"I'm glad," Scott told her. "I don't know what we'd do without you and Parker."

She met his eyes for a moment, but before she could say anything he got to his feet. "I need to call John."

"When is he coming home?"

"Tomorrow. Gordon needs to spend some time in Three's simulators first. It's a while since he's flown her. Brains and Alan aren't up to it. I'll see you later, Penny."

She watched him go back into the house, struck by the way his shoulders slumped. It was a far cry from his usual ramrod straight Air Force demeanour and she knew he was hurting as much as any of his brothers, however much he tried to hide it.

* * *

Up on Thunderbird Five, John was struggling. His father had called just before he'd left the island, apologising again for leaving his son up in space, reminding him that he'd have a chance to see Tin-Tin before the funeral. John had just nodded, knowing that this wasn't the time to tell his father that he was more than happy to stay where he was, and that he really didn't want to see the body. Why everyone seemed to think it was necessary, he didn't know. His brothers were used to death - strangers, of course - but John didn't have their experience. It was bad enough having to listen to the screams and prayers of dying rescue victims without having to see the damage done to their bodies. He wanted to remember Tin-Tin as she was - alive and beautiful and happy, not as some empty shell.

When his father had ordered him to take Thunderbird Five offline and send out a transmission informing the world that International Rescue would be unavailable for the foreseeable future, he'd agreed, having expected the instruction ever since Tin-Tin had died. He'd hated to do it, hated the thought that other people would now have to endure the same grief and misery as him and his family, but he knew there was no way anyone was fit to respond to a call for help. Those of his brothers he'd spoken to - Scott and Gordon - had looked utterly shattered, both physically and mentally, and he knew his father had made the right decision. He'd sent the message then begun to shut down the communication systems. Finally the station fell silent.

John had lasted just under two minutes before diving for the controls and snapping them all back on. It was too quiet, too empty. He needed the distraction of the noise just to stop himself from going insane. The last thing he needed was even more time to think about what had happened.

_Calling International Rescue..._

No! Not a callout, not when they couldn't respond.

_International Rescue? Are you there?_ The words were followed by a giggle and what sounded like a hiccup and John felt a sudden mixture of relief and anger as he saw the source of the call flash up on screen. Another drunk college girl by the look of it. It was Friday night in California, after all.

It went against all protocol, but John often enjoyed this kind of call. Usually the girls were engaged in some kind of dare, hoping for the chance to talk to one of the heroes of International Rescue. Once he'd confirmed that there was no real emergency, he'd spend a little time flirting with them. After all, he needed to keep his hand in somehow - his brothers might be stuck on the island most of the time, but at least out on rescues they met real women. He couldn't help remembering the conversation he'd had with Scott, Virgil and Gordon just a couple of days ago when they were lamenting Alan's luck in having Tin-Tin there on the island whilst they were all alone. No one would be calling their brother lucky now...

_International Rescue? This is an emergency. Our dorm's on fire. We need help. _This was followed by another fit of giggling and John could hear several other female voices in the background egging the caller on.

John outlined a professional response in his head, one which explained politely that IR were out of action, then ignored it in favour of a blisteringly sarcastic response in which he pointed out - as he'd wanted to do so many times in situations like this but been too professional to do so - that if their building _was_ on fire (which he didn't believe for a moment) then maybe they should try calling their local fire department. After all, it wouldn't take them an hour to arrive like it would IR.

There was silence for a moment then the transmission cut out. John slumped in his chair, unsure whether he felt better or not. It had certainly helped relieve some of the stress he'd been feeling, if only for a moment, but it worried him that he'd lost control like that. Pulling himself together, he turned off the communications systems once more. This time, hard as it was, he left them off.

He was relieved when Scott called in with the promise that he'd be up to get his brother first thing in the morning. However hard it would be to deal with the miserable atmosphere down on Tracy Island, he knew he'd go mad if he had to stay alone on a silent Five much longer.

* * *

The rest of the day on Tracy Island was uneventful. Alan and Virgil stayed in their rooms, both finding refuge in sleep - Alan under the influence of a sedative Scott had slipped him, so concerned was he by the way his brother had broken down when Tin-Tin's body had been taken away. Scott and Gordon spent their time in the simulator. Usually Gordon would play the fool, deliberately crashing whichever machine he was handling, just to annoy his brother, but this time he did everything by the book. At the end of the session he was about to suggest they go and get John right away, but then he looked properly at Scott's tired face and left the words unspoken. Instead he announced that he was going to get an early night, suggesting his brother did the same.

By eight thirty only Penny and Parker were still awake. Made uncomfortable by the uncharacteristic quiet of the house, they sat out on the terrace drinking tea and wondering what the future held for the Tracys and International Rescue.

Gordon slept surprisingly well. He'd expected to have the same dreams he'd had on the night of the tragedy, reliving the awful minutes where he'd searched desperately for Tin-Tin, eventually discovering her body jammed up against the ruins of the drainage gate, knowing by the blue tinge of her skin that he was too late. But there had been none of that - unsurprisingly since he'd been so exhausted when he'd gone to bed. He just hoped Scott had managed to find a similar rest. But one look at his brother's pale face and the dark shadows under his eyes told him otherwise.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. Let's go get Johnny."

They headed into the lounge, only to pull up in surprise at the sight of Alan sitting on the couch.

"How do you feel?" Gordon asked.

Alan shrugged but didn't bother stating the obvious. "What's going on?"

"We're off to get John," Scott told him. "Where's Brains? He's supposed to be handling the launch."

"You're going?" Alan asked Gordon in surprise.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I spent all yesterday practising..." Gordon broke off, aware that Alan probably wouldn't care about Thunderbird Three right now.

"I'll go," Alan said, suddenly.

Scott and Gordon exchanged wary looks. "Alan, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Scott told him.

"Why not? It's my job. It's not like I didn't get a good night's sleep - I'm guessing it was you who drugged me, Scott?"

Scott muttered something and looked down at the ground.

"Doesn't matter," Alan told him. "If I'm honest, I'm grateful. And now I'm fit to fly. More so than you, Scott, by the look of it."

"Alan..." Scott didn't like this sudden calmness on the part of his brother. He dealt with grief by throwing himself into his work - his father was the same - but Alan was a far more volatile character and Scott knew it was only a matter of time until there was yet another outburst.

Alan moved to stand in front of his brothers, looking each one straight in the eye. "Please. Just get me away from here for a while. Give me something else to think about. I can't stand it here right now."

The desperation in his eyes made Scott bite back his initial rejection. Instead he gave in. "Okay, but Gordon comes too."

"Sure." Alan moved back to the couch.

Brains walked in at that moment, looking as though he'd had even less sleep than Scott. He looked awkwardly at Alan, unable to meet his eye before moving to Jeff's desk ready to initiate the launch.

"Alan's coming with us," Scott told him, shrugging his shoulders at Brains' look of surprise. "We'll see you in a few hours."

"F-F-FAB, S-Scott." Brains watched the remaining brothers take their places on the couch then flicked the switch which would transport them to Thunderbird Three. He couldn't help wondering why Alan was going along. Surely he should be as prostrated with grief as Brains himself was.

* * *

Scott was on edge throughout the flight, his attention only half on the controls, the rest of his focus on Alan. He'd expected a breakdown at any moment, but apart from one long pause as Alan's gaze fell on Tin-Tin's usual seat, there had been nothing and the flight had been uneventful. John was glad to see them, unusually keen to leave Five. Scott couldn't blame him - the silent station was eerie to say the least.

"Guess I should turn the lights off," John said dryly, reaching out for the switches which would turn off all but the most basic systems and wondering how long it would be before he'd see her again.

On the flight home, first John, then Scott, tried to get Alan to talk to them, figuring that since he couldn't go anywhere, he might just be persuaded to open up to them, but their brother refused point blank to discuss Tin-Tin's death. When Gordon joined in with a plea to him not to blame Virgil, Alan said nothing, simply shooting his brother such a look of contempt that Gordon actually took a step backwards. In the end the brothers gave up and the rest of the flight was completed in silence apart from the occasional check-in with Brains.

John had never had such a depressing homecoming. Brains managed a brief greeting, but was clearly desperate to abandon the command centre in favour of the sanctuary of his lab. His grandmother burst into tears at the sight of him and he felt duty-bound to give her a hug, wishing he could do it a little less awkwardly. Parker had done his best to prepare a meal but it wasn't anything like the feast that would usually be waiting for him on his arrival. He wasn't hungry but he felt obliged to eat it anyway.

"Where's Virgil?" he asked.

"Still in his room," Penny told him. "He says he's still got a headache..."

John considered this. Concussion took a while to get over and it was no surprise that Virgil was still feeling rough. But he'd been there before and by this time he'd usually be fighting his father to be allowed out of his room. He worried that his brother might be sinking into some kind of depression, but when he went to talk to him he found Virgil fast asleep. It didn't reassure him.

Making his way back to the lounge he found Scott and Penny watching a news report on the TV. A situation had arisen in Austria. A line on a cable car had snapped and the car was dangling precariously several hundred feet in the air. The local authorities had tried everything to reach the people inside - mainly school children on a skiing trip - but to no avail and the reporter was currently bemoaning the absence of International Rescue.

John turned off the TV set. "No sense watching that," he said. "We can't help."

Penny agreed, though the doubtful expression as she spoke suggested that she wished there was something they could do.

Scott stared at the blank screen for a moment then seemed to shake himself into action, heading towards the entrance to Thunderbird Two.

"Scott?" Penny put a hand out to stop him but he pushed her aside.

"Come on, Scott," John said. "You can't."

"It's an easy one, John," Scott said tersely. "You know it is. Two can handle it. I'll be there and back in no time."

"But..." John gave up. He'd seen that stubborn look on Scott's face too many times to waste his breath arguing. "At least let me come with you."

But Scott was gone.

* * *

Penny didn't dare report Scott's actions to Jeff, even though she knew he'd probably pick up on the rescue from the news. She couldn't help admiring the man for what he'd done. He was grief-stricken over Tin-Tin and exhausted from a trip into space, not the mention the strain of trying to keep his family from falling apart, yet still he'd gone out to try to help others. She and John followed his progress anxiously but, as Scott had stated, it was a simple rescue and within ten minutes of his arrival Scott had the cable car secured in Two's grabs and was lowering it to the ground.

"I'm on my way home," he told them. "Put the coffee on, will you?"

When he arrived home he collapsed on the couch, announcing he was starving, yet only picking at the food Parker had prepared for him. John exchanged an anxious look with Penny, both of them equally aware that the eldest brother was pushing himself too hard. Then he'd taken Scott away with the promise of alcohol and pool. Penny hadn't followed them to the games room, knowing the brothers needed time to themselves. Instead she dutifully made the rounds of the others, reassured to find Virgil awake and in the care of his grandmother, whilst Gordon kept an eye on Alan. Only Brains refused to talk to her and finally she gave up, deciding she'd ask Scott for the security codes for the lab in the morning.

She took herself off to her room and got ready for bed. But sleep wouldn't come and in the end she decided that a cup of tea was needed. Not wanting to bother Parker - the man had enough to do, having taken over all the domestic duties without complaint - she made her way to the kitchen, prepared a pot of tea and took it out onto the balcony.

She was surprised to find someone out there. Even more surprised when she realised it was Scott. There was no sign of John and she wondered why. Then, as she hesitated, wondering whether or not to leave him alone, she heard a sound which filled her with both fear and pity.

Scott was crying.

She debated going back inside, knowing that a man like Scott would feel utterly humiliated at being discovered in such a state. But then as she watched and his shoulders started to shake uncontrollably, she knew she couldn't leave. Instead she walked up to him, put her arms around him and pulled him towards her, hating herself for the sudden burst of joy she felt when, after an initial hesitation, he clung to her as if he never wanted to let her go.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you so much for all the comments on the last chapter. It was such a tough one to write that knowing people thought it worked meant a lot. Whirlgirl, thank you as always. Thanks to overkalix, too - bear with me, Alan will get the chance to explain himself very soon._

Chapter Ten

Penny lay staring at the ceiling, aware that the room was steadily getting lighter, but unwilling to risk waking Scott by shifting position so that she could see the clock. She'd have to make a move soon, she thought. Parker would bring her an early-morning cup of tea at seven-thirty and he couldn't find her room empty.

She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall as she wondered why she'd let things go so far. Oh, it wasn't that she hadn't wanted to sleep with Scott - she'd dreamed of it happening for over a year now - but she'd never expected it to happen like this. It had been... not a disappointment, exactly - a night with Scott Tracy could never be that - but it had been an act of desperation, not one of love. They'd shared a bed many a time on missions, but whenever she'd imagined what it would be like to wake up next to him after their first real night together, she'd pictured them smiling at each other, totally at ease with the situation, even laughing about the length of time it had taken for them to get together. She'd expected that before it happened she would have declared her love for Scott and he would have told her he felt the same way, that they'd be together for the rest of their lives.

But this... Penny had always prided herself on her self-control, but right now she thought she knew what it must feel like to be a teenage girl waking up in a strange bed after too much alcohol the night before, wondering what on earth she'd done and what the consequences would be. She didn't even have the excuse of being drunk. Not like Scott. When he'd first started to kiss her she'd tasted the whiskey on him and realised that he was far from sober, but she hadn't been able to stop him - or herself. Not when he so obviously needed the comfort only she could give him.

At the time she hadn't regretted it - she'd needed it too. Tin-Tin had been a good friend and she still couldn't believe the girl was gone. But now... What would Scott say when he woke up? Would he be embarrassed? Pleased? What would the others say if they found out? She hoped no one had heard them, only slightly reassured by the knowledge that only Virgil's room bordered Scott's and the middle Tracy could easily sleep through an earthquake, even when he wasn't concussed and finding refuge from his misery in his bed.

Scott stirred and she held her breath until he stilled again. What was she going to do? She couldn't stay there forever. Trying to get her thoughts in order, she wondered once again whether she shouldn't just make a run for it. She just couldn't face the awkwardness that would ensue if they talked right now.

Deciding she had to get away, she tried to slide out from under his arm, but the movement woke him and she rolled over to hide her face in the pillow as he pulled away and sat up.

_"Penny?"_

Surprise - even shock - in his voice, but nothing else, she thought. Not entirely sober yet either, by the sound of it. It was as bad as she'd anticipated. Turning back over, she immediately grabbed for the sheet that had been pulled away as Scott had sat up. Wrapping it tightly around her, she tried to smile at him, studying his face intently for any sign of his feelings. What she wanted was a smile, some look of affection in his eyes, but all she saw was confusion.

"I thought I'd been dreaming," he said, rubbing a hand over his face then looking at her again. "Penny, I... er..." He stared at her, his bewilderment only seeming to increase. "I guess we..."

"Yes, Scott. We did."

"Oh." He floundered for something to say and Penny found herself sympathising. She didn't know what to say either. Was now the right time to declare her true feelings? If she didn't, would she get another chance?

"Scott-"

"Penny-"

They stopped and laughed awkwardly before falling silent again. So this was how it was going to be, Penny thought. No declaration of love from him - she'd had just the tiniest hope that it would work out that way - just embarrassment and uncertainty.

There was a sharp tap at the door and the pair looked at each other in horror as Alan's voice came floating through.

"Scott, you awake? I really need to talk."

Penny couldn't help cursing the youngest Tracy even as she pitied him for the way his voice sounded so young and lost.

"Al, wait a minute!"

But it was too late. The door slid open and Alan stood staring at them, his expression morphing rapidly from misery through shock and finally into absolute fury.

"Scott? _Penny?_ "

"Alan, wait outside," Scott told him, keeping his voice low in the hope that Alan would do the same. "Let me get dressed and we'll talk, okay?"

"Oh, don't bother. I'd hate to interrupt you." He stared at Penny, his eyes full of hurt. "How could you?" he asked.

Penny would have blushed, but she was already scarlet, clutching the sheet to her chin, unable to look at either man.

"You couldn't resist, could you?" Alan snarled, taking a step closer to Penny. "You saw your chance to get your hands on Scott and you took it. Well I'm glad Tin-Tin's death was good news for someone."

"Alan!" Scott began to throw the bedclothes back, desperate to get his brother out of the room, but then realised that his lack of clothing would probably just make everything worse. "Penny didn't-"

"Oh, shut up, Scott! I thought you cared about Tin-Tin. You've got a funny way of grieving for her, you know that?"

"What's going on?" Virgil stood uncertainly in the doorway and Scott groaned. Penny would have liked to pull the pillow over her head and leave the brothers to it, but she was frozen in place.

"Get him out of here, Virg," Scott ordered, but even as Virgil grabbed Alan's arm only for his brother to pull away, John and Gordon came running into the room.

For once in his life Gordon was lost for words, staring dumbfounded at the pair in the bed, whilst even John, who prided himself on expressing as little emotion as possible regardless of the situation, stood there wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Look at them!" Alan shouted - not that anyone was looking anywhere other than at Scott and Penny. "They-"

"Al, come on!" Gordon seemed to have snapped out of his initial shock and was pulling his brother away. John and Virgil moved to help him and within seconds, they were gone.

The door slid shut and Scott leapt out of bed.

"God, Penny, I'm so sorry. I usually lock the door. I guess I was too... er... distracted last night. Alan shouldn't have said all that. He's not thinking straight. It's the shock of losing Tin-Tin... Penny?"

Penny just looked at him miserably. What could she possibly say?

Scott was hurriedly dressing. "Look, I need to talk to Alan. And you. Yes, you too. I don't... Oh, God. Penny, I don't know what to say. I'll see you later, okay? I'm sorry to leave, I know we need to talk, but I can't leave Alan like this, I just can't."

Then he was gone.

Penny numbly got out of bed and began to dress. She'd have to leave, she thought. Leave and never come back. She didn't think she could ever show her face on Tracy Island again. Creeping to the door she let it slide open then looked timidly out into the hallway, hastily making a run for it when she was sure it was all clear.

She barely made it to her room before breaking down. When, a few minutes later, Parker tapped on the door and announced that he'd brought her a cup of tea, she managed to pull herself together enough to call out that she'd just got out of the shower and that he should leave it outside. She hoped he didn't know - he'd have been in the kitchen, so just maybe he'd have missed the commotion - but one look at her face would tell him something was very wrong and he'd want to know what. She couldn't face telling him. When he hesitated for several moments before muttering his usual, _Yes, Milady_, she knew she hadn't been entirely convincing, but, faithful as always, Parker had done as she'd asked and left her alone. The gratitude she felt towards him made her break down again.

The tea was cold by the time she felt like drinking it, but she finished the cup anyway, before heading to the bathroom and splashing some cold water over her face. She was sitting at her mirror trying to cover her red, blotchy eyes with make-up when her phone rang.

Simon...

Full of guilt, she threw the phone onto the bed and buried her head in her hands.

It was another hour before she left her room. She'd been unable to stop herself hoping that Scott would come to talk to her, but he'd clearly decided Alan was more important. She wasn't surprised.

Grandma was in the lounge and Penny hesitated before going in. If the old lady had found out what had happened, she'd be mortified, but Grandma seemed unaware of the morning's events, smiling sadly at the aristocrat before turning her attention back to her sewing. Penny moved onto the terrace, letting the forced smile slip from her face once she was out of Grandma's line of vision. The sight of Scott and Alan sitting together on the beach didn't make her feel any better. The brothers seemed comfortable enough in each other's presence, so she guessed Scott had been able to pacify Alan, but seeing that their usual closeness had been restored just made her feel even more alone.

"Penny?"

John's voice made her jump and she turned, aware she was blushing again. She couldn't help looking back at Grandma in case she'd noticed.

"It's okay," John said quietly, "Grandma doesn't know anything." He smiled. "It's not the first time we've covered for each other when someone smuggled a girl in. Not that it's ever happened on the island..."

Penny knew he was trying to make her feel better, but the comment just served as a reminder that Scott had always had something of a reputation when it came to girls and the fact that John seemed to see her as just another member of a rather large group, hurt.

"John, would you fly me to Malaysia, please?"

"What? Come on, Penny, you don't have to leave."

"Yes, I do."

John looked at her in concern. "Look, I can see you're upset, but Al will be fine. Scott's calmed him down. It's not a problem, you know. Whatever you and Scott do is your business."

"Please, John. I can't stay here."

John did his best to persuade Penny to change her mind, but the woman was adamant. Her final exasperated declaration that if she didn't get herself to a doctor then John might find himself an uncle in nine months' time finally shut him up and, blushing as much as Penny, he agreed to prepare the jet.

Penny watched him go, wondering if the day had any more humiliations in store. She'd lied to John, of course. There was no chance of a baby. But she'd been unable to think of any other way to shut him up.

Now all she had to do was make her excuses to Grandma. Under any other circumstances she knew the old lady would have known she was lying, but she was still so shaken by Tin-Tin's death that when Penny informed her that she had to buy something suitable to wear to the funeral, Grandma just nodded and thanked her for everything she'd done to help.

Penny debated leaving Parker on the island. The Tracys needed all the help they could get right now. But he might find out what had happened and the last thing she needed was for him to make some misguided attempt to defend her honour by going up against Alan. Or worse, Scott. She could see the man was surprised when she ordered him to start packing, but he did as he was told without argument.

She'd really hoped to avoid talking to Scott before she left, and when she managed to get to the steps of the jet without seeing him, she thought she'd done it, but as she reached for the handrail, his voice stopped her.

"Parker, give me a hand with these bags," John said quickly, turning to whisper to Penny, "Talk to him. You can't just leave."

Penny would have run up the steps and taken refuge in the plane if John hadn't blocked her way, but she had no choice other than to let Scott take her arm and draw her away.

"Grandma told me you were going. Don't, Penny. I know you're embarrassed about last night, but it's okay. The guys understand."

_They might understand,_ Penny thought. _But do you?_

"Look," Scott went on. "Last night... I just wanted to say... You saved me, Penny. I still can't believe I broke down like that and I didn't mean to take advantage, but thank you. You're a good friend."

Friend... There it was. What could she say now?

"I'm glad I could help," she muttered. "But Scott, I really do have to leave. Please, let go of me."

Scott released her arm and stood back. "Don't let this spoil things with us," he pleaded. "We need you, Penny."

We, not I... Penny couldn't take any more. If Scott had only given some sign that he had some feelings for her, however slight, she might have given in and told him straight how she felt. But Alan's comment about her taking advantage of Tin-Tin's death still hurt and she couldn't help thinking that he'd always believe it was true, that the others might think so too. Any relationship with Scott would always be tainted by that. She pushed past Scott and ran up the stairs where John was waiting to close the jet's door.

She didn't look back.


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm so sorry this is late - blame real life, birthdays and work. Not to mention stubborn characters who won't do what you want them to! _

Chapter Eleven

Penny's departure might have left Scott confused and Alan bitter, but it did wonders for Grandma. Forced to rouse herself from the stupor she'd been in ever since Tin-Tin had died, she'd found a degree of solace in resuming the domestic chores that she'd left to Parker for the past couple of days. When she thought about the way she'd behaved, she was ashamed of herself. She'd experienced loss and grief many times in her life but she'd never fallen apart like this, not even when her husband had died. For the first time in her life she'd felt old and useless, but now, as she looked around the breakfast table on the morning of Tin-Tin's funeral, watching four of her grandsons as they picked at the food in front of them, she knew she still had a job to do, that they needed her more than ever.

Alan ate nothing. He looked empty and lost and Grandma couldn't help thinking that she'd seen it all before, when Jeff had lost Lucy. Gordon sat next to him, doing a better job of finishing his meal than his brothers, but he too looked pale and strained. Every so often he would murmur something to his younger brother, getting little more than a shrug and a one-word answer for his trouble.

Grandma had expected Scott to do his best to rally everyone, but he sat in silence, a half-eaten piece of toast forgotten in his hand, staring into space with an uncharacteristic frown on his face. All this had hit him hard, Grandma thought.

John caught her eye and smiled faintly, but before Grandma could say anything, Virgil came into the room. Grandma knew she hadn't been at her best lately but if nothing else she'd tried to take care of him and she was relieved to see that he looked a lot better today. He was still pale, but the lines of pain around his eyes, indicative of the headache that had accompanied his concussion, were gone. Like his brothers he was quiet, but he seemed a lot more alert than he'd been for a while and that cheered her, even though the frequent anxious glances he sent Alan's way reminded her that the pair had a lot to work through together and that for all of them, Tin-Tin's funeral was only the first step on the way to dealing with the tragedy.

Grandma hoped Brains was eating the food she'd sent him. Now she thought about it, she'd barely seen anything of him since Tin-Tin's body had been taken away. He'd be suffering as much as anyone, she thought. Tin-Tin had been more than his assistant, she'd been his friend, and the shy genius didn't have many of those. Without the girl to talk to he'd likely become even more of a recluse and Grandma made a promise to herself that she wouldn't allow that to happen.

She'd miss chatting with Tin-Tin herself. The girl had been a welcome companion - as much as she adored her son and grandsons, the constant talk of business, sport and Thunderbirds could get very wearing. She'd loved the times she and Tin-Tin had spent watching movies or eating chocolates as they perused the latest fashion and gossip magazines. She'd have to wait for Lady Penelope's next visit before she could enjoy anything like that again.

Penny... Now Grandma could think more clearly, she found herself puzzled by her abrupt departure. She'd accepted the woman's insistence that she needed to buy something suitable for the funeral without question, but, now that she thought about it, it seemed odd that Penny hadn't been able to find anything appropriate in the eight cases she'd brought along for her short visit, especially since Kyrano had insisted that no one wear black - the funeral was to be a celebration of Tin-Tin's life, not a lamentation of the days she'd never see.

She tried to voice her thoughts to Scott when he helped her clear the table, believing that if anyone would know what was going on with the aristocrat it would be her eldest grandson, but to her surprise he just looked uncomfortable and muttered something about needing to check on Alan before rushing out of the room. Grandma watched him go with weary resignation, wondering if he and Penny would ever get together. But that thought led her back to Alan and Tin-Tin and the lost chance for a wedding and great-grandchildren and before she could stop herself she'd started to cry once more.

* * *

The funeral was a quiet, simple affair. Apart from the Tracy Island inhabitants, Penny and Parker, only a handful of other people were present: some family friends of the Kyranos and a couple of International Rescue agents. Kyrano spoke, quietly and briefly, but with what was for him, a great deal of eloquence. Jeff, too, got up to talk about the girl. Then it was Alan's turn, and the Tracys and Penny tensed, praying there wouldn't be another outburst. But Alan only got as far as saying that Tin-Tin had been the love of his life before breaking down. When it became clear that he couldn't go on, his father and brothers went up to comfort him and take him back to his seat. It didn't escape Grandma's notice that Virgil hesitated before he followed them, then hovered nervously behind the others, wanting to help but clearly believing that his presence would only upset his brother even more. It hurt to see it and she swore that she'd make things right between the pair.

The remainder of the service was an emotional affair and when the mourners emerged from the temple, no one was unaffected. Jeff Tracy himself was red-eyed and even Kyrano lost his composure for a while before insisting that they all move on to the nearby hotel where he and Jeff had been staying.

Penny and Parker had taken rooms there too. Jeff been decidedly puzzled when the woman had arrived, since she'd promised him she'd stay on Tracy Island to watch over his family. He still wasn't sure why she'd left. She'd been decidedly reticent, assuring him that everyone was coping as well as could be expected before escaping to her room. Parker hadn't been able to offer an explanation for their arrival, either.

When Penny had announced over breakfast that she was leaving immediately after the funeral on a mission for MI5, Jeff couldn't help feeling even more confused, not to mention a little let-down. He'd been relying on her to help him pick up the pieces of International Rescue - he'd debated shutting down for a while, if not for good, but Kyrano had told him over and over again that they had to continue, that if they gave up, Tin-Tin's death would have been for nothing. Jeff had told her that and asked her to stay, but he'd been surprised by the force with which she'd insisted that, as loyal as she was to his organisation, other agencies had demands on her time. Tin-Tin's death must have hit her harder than anyone had realised, Jeff thought. There was no other explanation for her behaviour.

Penny had thought long and hard before accepting the mission which she'd declined just a couple of days ago, Scott's words of concern about the danger she'd be facing had echoed around her head even as she'd spoken to the chief of MI5. But she hadn't hesitated. After all that had happened with Scott and the shattering of all the fantasies she'd enjoyed over the past year or so, she needed something to take her mind off things. The mission would require all her attention - her life and those of others would depend on it. Not only that, but she couldn't help feeling utterly humiliated as she recalled her desperate escape from Tracy Island. So much for the pride she took in being the coolest of secret agents. She'd acted like a naive schoolgirl. That was what happened when you let your emotions take over, she thought. She'd embarrassed herself in front of some of the men she admired most in the world and she felt the need to regain some dignity in their eyes, not to mention in her own. The mission was the way to do it. Despite the guilt she felt at leaving Jeff to handle things alone, she knew the break was for the best.

Penny hoped that one day she'd be able to look Scott in the eye without letting her feelings show, but right now that was impossible, and she found herself doing her best to avoid him, sticking close to Jeff and Kyrano, but hopelessly aware of him hovering near her, apparently wanting to talk. It was a relief when his grandmother called him over and he obediently went to join her. Glancing at her watch, Penny saw that she only had another twenty minutes or so to kill until it was time to leave. Surely she could avoid Scott for that short time.

* * *

Scott did indeed want to talk to Penny. He hadn't slept, memories of the night he'd spent with her coming back to him as he'd lain in his bed, the scent of her perfume still lingering in the air. If that wasn't enough, a comment of Alan's about Tin-Tin believing Penny loved him - something he hadn't taken seriously for a minute at the time - was bothering him. He'd genuinely believed they were just friends - it was what Penny herself had said so often, though, as he now realised, not recently. Not since they'd been trapped together on Sir Reuben McAllister's island... He couldn't help wondering if Tin-Tin had been on to something - and what he should do if she'd been right. There had been a time he'd have jumped at an opportunity to develop their relationship, but he hadn't thought of Penny that way for a long time, and these latest developments had left him totally confused.

The news that she was leaving for London that afternoon hadn't really surprised him, but it had made him anxious. He worried that she wasn't up to the mission, that her sorrow over Tin-Tin's death and anguish over what had happened with him would distract her. He really needed to speak to her, but she seemed to be doing her best to avoid him. He thought back over their last conversation, recalling his comment that they were friends, nothing more, and wondering if that was what had led her to accept the job. If anything happened to her he'd never forgive himself, especially if he never got the chance to find out her true feelings - or to work out his own.

"Scott?"

Scott jumped. He'd been so lost in thought as he'd watched Penny talk to Kyrano that he hadn't realised his grandmother had been speaking to him. Now as she reached out to touch his arm, he was brought back to reality.

"What's wrong?"

Scott hesitated, but as much as he needed some advice right now, he couldn't confide in his grandmother - if nothing else, he wanted to protect Penny. She'd been utterly mortified when his brothers had caught them in bed together, the last thing she needed was Ruth Tracy finding out. As much as he knew his grandmother wanted the pair of them to get together, Scott knew that she wouldn't really approve of what had happened.

"I was just wondering if Penny's ready to take on a new mission. She's pretty cut up about Tin-Tin."

Grandma couldn't argue with that, but Scott's discomfiture wasn't lost on her. Something was going on, she thought. Scott's attempts to talk to Penny hadn't gone unnoticed and she decided that, whatever the reasons for the pair's current behaviour, something had to be done to sort them out before Penny disappeared for who knew how long.

"Penny! Come here for a moment, dear."

Penny turned, unable to hide her dismay at being directly summoned by Grandma. She'd never been so relieved in her life when, just as she sat down in the only available seat - right next to Scott - her phone rang. Digging around in her handbag she pulled it out, glancing at the caller's name as she apologised to Grandma for the interruption.

Simon_._ She'd avoided talking to him ever since she'd spent the night with Scott. She still didn't want to speak to him, but right now he was the lesser of two evils and the call couldn't have come at a more opportune moment.

"I have to take this," she said. "It's Simon. Please excuse me, Mrs Tracy."

Scott's look of disappointment matched Grandma's for a moment before he pulled himself together and plastered a look of indifference onto his face. Even so, it was more than he could stand to stay sitting with his grandmother right now, and he muttered something about getting some food before making his escape. But instead of making his way to the food table, he headed out of the room and into the lobby, trying to gather his thoughts. He'd forgotten all about Lord Warrington-Farr. He was fairly sure Penny hadn't given him a thought the other night, either. But what he needed to know was what she thought about him now.

Deciding that there was no putting it off, that he just _had _to talk to Penny, whether she wanted to or not, he made a conscious effort to steel himself before making his way back to the funeral party. He couldn't see Penny, but when he asked Virgil if he'd seen her, his brother told him she'd gone out into the garden.

He didn't see her at first, but then he heard her voice carrying from some distance away. He hesitated, then moved closer, unable to stop himself from trying to overhear what she was saying, desperate to get some sense of her true feelings. But it seemed her telephone conversation was over. A low voice answered her and although Scott couldn't make out the words, the spealer was unmistakeably Parker.

"Remember, Parker, he must never find out. _Never."_

Parker mumbled something in response, to which Penny replied,

"No, he wouldn't understand, Parker. It would ruin everything for us. I hate to lie to him but what else can I do? I'd lose everything if he found out. I can't risk it, Parker, I simply can't."

Scott drew in a deep breath and turned away. So Simon was the one, after all. The night with him had been exactly what he'd originally thought: an attempt to comfort a friend in distress. She probably hadn't expected things to go as far as they had - or maybe she'd needed it too. No wonder she'd been so embarrassed the next morning. Poor Tin-Tin, she'd always been a hopeless romantic - she'd had to be to put up with Alan for so long. Scott smiled ruefully to himself as he returned to his family. It was just as well he hadn't spoken to Penny - the resulting awkwardness would have ruined their friendship forever.

* * *

Penny sat on a garden bench relieved to have a moment to herself, having dismissed Parker with orders to bring down the cases and find them a taxi. She replayed the conversation with Simon in her head, wishing she'd found the nerve to finish things with him. _Why_ hadn't she done it? She was supposed to be one of MI5's top agents, capable of withstanding torture, of hurting - even killing - her opponents, yet she couldn't tell a man that she no longer wanted a relationship. She'd wanted to, she really had, but in the end she just hadn't been able to do it. Not over the phone. She respected him too much not to do it face to face. But whether she'd get the chance before she joined the other MI5 agents was doubtful. She'd covered her impending absence by telling Simon that she'd decided to stay with her friends for a while. After all, she could hardly tell him that she was off on a top-secret mission for MI5 since he knew nothing about her secret life as an agent - as she'd said to Parker, if he ever found out, her career would be ruined and her life would never be the same again. He'd feel humiliated enough when she broke off the relationship - finding out that she'd been lying to him all this time would just make things that much worse. She'd felt terrible when he'd accepted her decision without protest, telling her to take all the time she needed to get over her friend's death and promising that when she finally returned to England he'd be waiting.

When Parker appeared to say that the taxi was waiting, she said her final goodbyes, doing her best to keep her head high as she said a few last words to Virgil, John and Gordon. She couldn't meet Alan's eyes though, but any fear of more bitter words was soon allayed when it became clear that the young man was barely aware of what was going on. She cast a concerned look at Jeff, who hadn't left his son's side since he'd broken down at the funeral. Jeff smiled sadly and promised to call her later that evening. With a final goodbye to Brains, who looked almost as distraught as Alan, and Kyrano, who unsurprisingly was once again his usual stoic self, she walked away.

To her dismay Scott was waiting for her in the lobby - she'd really hoped she'd be able to escape without seeing him. Although she hated herself for it, she couldn't help the momentary hope that flared as she wondered if he'd changed his mind about them just being friends. But when he quietly promised her that their night together would remain a secret - he'd ensure that none of his brothers would breathe a word about it, either - and that he hoped things would work out with Simon, Penny felt that last tiny bit of hope die.

How she managed to get away without bursting into tears, she didn't know, but she did, throwing herself into the taxi with none of her usual grace or elegance, much to Parker's surprise.

She couldn't stop herself looking back as the car began to move away, but there was no sign of Scott. She wondered if she'd ever be able to face him again or whether she'd just said goodbye to him - and to International Rescue - for good.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you to everyone for the reviews and follows. Whirlgirl, I can't say how much I appreciate all the comments and feedback you give me - I had a very happy birthday, though it did make it hard to get into the right mood to write that last chapter! _

Chapter Twelve

It was a sombre flight back to Tracy Island. Jeff insisted on piloting, Alan immediately following him into the cockpit. Grandma, concerned that her youngest grandson hadn't said a word during the journey to the airport, went to join them, closing the door behind her and leaving the others to sit in silence. Gordon attempted to get them talking, but all his efforts fell flat and in the end he gave up, staring gloomily out of the window at the ocean beneath him and wishing that he was down there too.

Whilst John and Scott flicked through some magazines, Virgil leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He supposed everyone would think he was sleeping, but actually he was reflecting on the situation with Alan. Despite the intense emotion of the funeral, he was actually feeling better than he had since he'd been hurt out on the rescue. Apart from the fact that his headache had gone, the previous morning's discovery of Penny in bed with his brother had been such a shock that he'd snapped right out of the relentless cycle of grief and guilt he'd been trapped in ever since Tin-Tin had died. It had been a relief to have something else to think about. He still felt absolutely terrible about it all - the pain and guilt hadn't lessened in the slightest - but his head was clearer now and he was desperate to talk to Alan. Whatever his brother threw at him he'd take - it would hurt, but at least he'd know where he stood and if there was any chance of his brother forgiving him. He wasn't going to do it today - the strain of the funeral had been bad enough and he didn't think either he or Alan were up to a conversation (or fight, or whatever Alan decided to turn it into...) - but in the morning he'd finally face up to it. Now all he had to do was work out what to say...

As soon as they landed, Kyrano headed for the kitchen in order to prepare some of Tin-Tin's favourite food, insisting that they all gather around the pool later that evening to celebrate the time they'd had with the girl, short though it had been. No one was really in the mood but they turned up all the same, everyone eating and drinking more than they really wanted in an attempt to make him happy. Kyrano encouraged them to share their memories of Tin-Tin and, after an uncertain start, there was even some laughter as they recalled happier times.

Kyrano, Jeff and the four oldest brothers all contributed, and even Brains shared a story - albeit after a great deal of coaxing from Grandma. Only Alan remained silent. Finally, as the sun began to set and Kyrano began another anecdote, the youngest brother slipped quietly away.

Only Virgil saw him go as he went back to the house to sneak a drink - his father and grandmother had forbidden him any alcohol, pointing out that he was just getting over a concussion. He hadn't realised his grandmother was right behind him and he nearly dropped the bottle when she started to lecture him. Cutting her off with an apology, he told her about Alan, then started to head back to the pool with the intention of alerting his father. But to his surprise, the old lady stopped him, instead giving him a gentle push in Alan's direction. Virgil was about to protest that he was the last person his brother would want near him, but she interrupted him and insisted that he get moving - and quickly, before Alan was out of sight. She fixed him with one of her _do-as-you're-told-or-else! _looks that all the boys knew so well from their childhood. Virgil knew there was no arguing with his grandmother when she was in that kind of mood, and so he reluctantly followed his brother along the path that led to the far side of the island, intending to do nothing more than keep watch over his brother.

It was no surprise when he found himself at the edge of a small clearing on the far side of the island. This was where Tin-Tin and Alan would come to be alone - the place where Alan had wanted to bury her. Virgil had thought that his brother wanted nothing more than to grieve in private, but when he arrived, Alan was standing at the very edge of the cliff, staring down at the long drop to the rocks below.

Immediately thinking the worst, Virgil started to run forward, only to be brought up sharply by Alan's weary voice.

"It's okay. I'm not going to jump."

Virgil felt the fear that had gripped him ease - not only because of what Alan had said, but because he was finally speaking to him. But then his brother turned around and the surprise in his eyes when he saw Virgil standing there was obvious.

"Oh, it's you. I was expecting Scott. Or Dad."

Virgil's brief moment of hope died and he took a step back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll leave you alone. Unless you want me to get one of the others?"

Alan considered for a moment then shook his head. "No."

"Okay. I guess I'll head on back then." Virgil turned to leave, wishing he could just talk to his brother and get it all over with, but still convinced that the timing was hopelessly wrong. If they fought now, on the day they'd said goodbye to Tin-Tin, they'd probably never be able to make it up.

"Virg?"

Virgil spun round, unsure what to think. He was always 'Virgil' to his father and grandmother, but his brothers generally used the diminutive - unless they were mad at him. For Alan to use it now just confused him. Alan certainly didn't sound as though he was angry with him, he just sounded exhausted and unhappy.

"I miss her," Alan whispered.

"I know. So do I." Virgil wished he felt confident enough to go up to his brother and give him some kind of physical comfort, but he was too uncertain of the reaction he'd get. He didn't want to lose the unexpected, yet all too fragile connection he had with Alan right now, so he kept his distance.

For a moment the brothers stood in silence, then Alan moved away from the cliff edge and sat down on a fallen tree trunk. "You might as well sit down if you're staying," he said.

Virgil couldn't move fast enough, taking a seat beside his brother before freezing again, still terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing.

"How's the head?" Alan asked, eventually.

"Okay," Virgil told him, although if he was honest, right now it was spinning. Maybe he shouldn't have had that drink after all. Maybe this wasn't even happening... He couldn't work Alan out at all. He'd imagined their conversation playing out in so many different ways, but this particular scenario had never occurred to him. He realised that he was still holding the glass of whisky he'd been pouring when he spotted Alan walking away and, deciding that if this was some kind of hallucination, it was a whole lot better than reality, he took another sip.

Realising that Alan was watching him, he passed the glass over to his brother. Alan pulled a face and pushed it away.

"No thanks. I don't really like whisky, Virg. It's only you and Scott who turn into mini-Dads when you're stressed."

Virgil couldn't help smiling, the first time he'd done so in days. He wished he and Alan could just sit like this until the sun went down and it was time to go inside for the night. It occurred to him that no one had come along to check on them and he surmised that his grandmother was giving the brothers the chance to work things out. In which case, he needed to start talking.

But again Alan beat him to it, and his mind was clearly running along the same lines.

"We should have talked before," he said.

Virgil nodded, then took another mouthful of his drink before uttering the words he'd wanted to say ever since it had happened. "I'm not surprised you didn't want to speak to me. Alan, I'm so, so sorry. It was all my fault. I don't blame you for hating me-"

Alan swung round sharply and Virgil wondered if his brother was going to lash out after all - not that he cared. In fact, he welcomed the chance to make his brother feel better - and to take some of the punishment he was convinced he deserved.

So it came as a complete surprise when Alan just looked him straight in the eye for a long moment, then said softly,

"I don't hate you, Virg. I guess it might have seemed that way, but honestly, I don't. I've never held you responsible for what happened, either."

Virgil had to let this statement play over in his head for a full minute before he allowed himself to believe that he'd heard it right. Even then, he couldn't accept his brother's words, or the possibility that he wasn't to blame.

"Alan, I let her fall. Then Gordon wasted time helping me when he could have gone after her."

"Don't! It wasn't your fault. Really, Virg, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was. I tried to catch her and I missed." Despite Alan's unexpected protests to the contrary, nothing could change the fact that, as far as Virgil was concerned, he was responsible for the girl's death.

"Virg, I know you. I've seen you out on rescues. You tried, I know you did. We all know you did. Okay, so you didn't catch her, but you were hurt. I've had concussion; I know how it screws up your coordination. I don't blame you, okay. No one does. You've got to believe that. You risked your own life trying to save her. You couldn't have done any more."

Virgil had heard this so many times over the last few days, from his other brothers, his father, his grandmother, even Kyrano... but only now, when Alan said the words, the sincerity of them unmistakeable, did he finally begin to accept that there might be some truth in it. But the memory of his brother walking away from him at the debriefing nagged at him. "You did blame me though, didn't you? At least at first."

Alan sighed. "No. Really. I blamed _myself._"

"_What?_ How is any of this your fault?"

When Alan spoke, his voice was little short of a whisper. "It was because of me that she was out there in the first place. If I hadn't volunteered her then she'd have been safe on the island."

"No!" Virgil insisted, horrified that his brother should think such a thing. "No, she wouldn't. Alan, when Tin-Tin and I were talking during the flight she told me she was going to volunteer. You just got in there first. And it meant a lot to her. She was so pleased that you'd spoken up for her."

"That just makes me feel worse. Virg, I didn't do it to please her or because I thought she was the best person for the job. I did it because she wanted to go off to that new base Dad was talking about and I thought that if she had more to do here she'd give up the idea. I was being my usual selfish, stupid self - and it killed her."

"Alan..." Virgil put a hand on his brother's arm. "She knew all that."

"What?" Alan looked bewildered. "What are you talking about, Virgil?"

"She told me all about her plans for the pair of you. She also told me that she thought you might be going along with it just to please her - the two of you had only just made up after that fight, remember. But she wasn't mad about it. She said she was pleased that you'd even agreed to consider the idea and she hoped that in time she'd be able to persuade you to take it seriously. She knew you well, Al. She knew exactly what you were thinking and it didn't bother her."

"Really?" Alan didn't sound convinced.

"Really. You made her happy in those last few hours. You mustn't blame yourself for what happened. You-"

"But it's not just that!" Alan interrupted him. "I'm still indirectly responsible. She set those charges to go off early because she was worried about me. If she'd given herself a few more minutes to get away, she'd be alive now."

"She did it because she loved you," Virgil insisted. "I was pretty much out of it at the time, but I know that she risked her life and mine to save yours. She obviously thought it was worth it. What happened after that... Well, if you won't blame me for it then you can't blame yourself."

Alan sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. The two brothers sat in silence for a while, each trying to work through what the other had said. The clearing was in semi-darkness now, the sun about to set.

Finally, Virgil spoke. He still couldn't quite believe the turn the conversation had taken. "I really thought you hated me," he said. "I wish we'd talked sooner."

Alan didn't reply for a moment. He didn't look at his brother either, instead just staring out across the sea.

"Maybe that wouldn't have worked out so well," he eventually said softly. "I didn't hate you, but..."

"What?"

His voice grew even fainter. "When I walked away at the debriefing... Would you believe it was because I was jealous of you?"

"You were _jealous_ of me?" Virgil couldn't believe anyone could envy the way he'd been feeling.

"Yeah. Crazy isn't it? But think about it. You were the one who was with her when she died, it was your name she called out as she fell, you were the one who tried to save her. It should have been me... I mean, what did I do when I had the chance? Just stood there and watched while Gordon pulled her out. Froze and let him and Scott try to revive her. I should have been doing something.

"I know you thought I blamed you and I know I should have said something but I was just so angry about everything. I'd already yelled at Dad and I know that if he hadn't kept me away from Kyrano I'd have gone for him, too. All the things you were worrying about, well I could easily have said them. Not because I believed them - you have to accept that, Virgil, you just have to - but because taking it out on you might have made me feel better - for about a minute. But if I had... well, we'd never have got over it, would we?"

"I guess not." Virgil had to admit his brother might well have done the right thing as he remembered the way he'd exploded at Penny. That was on Alan's mind too, as he continued,

"I wanted to talk to you yesterday. I'd been awake all night - I kept hearing Tin-Tin's voice telling me to make things right with you. But I didn't know if you'd be feeling well enough and I wasn't sure what to say anyway, so I went to ask Scott about it. When I saw him in bed with Penny I got the shock of my life."

"You and me both," Virgil agreed. "In fact, I think Scott was pretty surprised as well."

"Yeah, he told me that. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, I know that, but all I could think of was what I'd lost. That I'd never be able to hold Tin-Tin again... I knew Penny was in love with Scott-"

"She was _what?"_

Alan looked uncomfortable. "Tin-Tin told me. I was so out of line, Virg. Penny didn't deserve all that. But at the time it really did look as though she'd taken advantage of Tin-Tin dying to make a move on Scott. I felt awful afterwards. I wanted to apologise but it was too late, she'd already run away. I don't think she'll ever forgive me, will she?"

Virgil was still reeling from Alan's previous comment. He'd be seeking out his eldest brother to find out more, that was for sure, but right now he needed to focus on Alan. But he didn't need to answer his brother's question, his silence said it all.

"Yeah... So you see why I kept away from you? I didn't trust myself and I couldn't risk driving you away too, Virg. I've missed you these past few days."

Virgil put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I've missed you too."

They sat side by side for a while, all the tension that had been between them gone. Virgil finished his drink and watched as the sun finally set.

"We should be getting back," he eventually said.

"Yeah."

Neither brother made any attempt to move.

"She loved it here," Alan said. "This is where I wanted her to be buried, but Kyrano got to make all the decisions."

A trace of bitterness returned to his voice as he told Virgil about Kyrano's suggestion that he choose something for Tin-Tin to wear, and his angry response when his father had conveyed the message.

"I wish I'd done it now," he admitted. "The dress Penny chose was nice but I'd never seen Tin-Tin wear it. Maybe she didn't like it. It bothers me that she's stuck with it forever. You'd think I'd have more important things to worry about, like how I'm going to get through the rest of my life without her, but no, I'm stressing out over a dress. Stupid, isn't it?"

He expected Virgil to say the same things about shock and grief that his father and grandmother had when he'd poured out his feelings during the flight home, but instead his brother rose to his feet and pulled him up too.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go back."

"I'm okay here for a while." Alan tried to prise Virgil's hand away from his arm but his brother was having none of it, pulling him back along the path.

As they approached the house they heard the sound of one of Tin-Tin's favourite songs. Clearly their absence hadn't prevented the wake from continuing and they guessed their grandmother had insisted that they be allowed to work out things out in peace.

Alan attempted to take the path that led to the pool, expecting that Virgil would want to join him in showing the family that they'd made things up, but instead his brother kept on towards the house, steering Alan through the side door and down the corridor to his studio.

They stopped at the door and Virgil looked at his brother. "I haven't been in here since it happened," he said. "The first thing you're going to see when I open the door is the painting I've been working on for the past couple of weeks. Tin-Tin asked me to paint her - it was supposed to be your birthday present. She's wearing that dress, Alan. She was going to wear it on your birthday, too. She said she wanted the day to be perfect and for you to have something to remember it by. Penny made the right choice."

Alan turned away and for a moment Virgil thought he'd miscalculated in bringing his brother here, expecting him to start walking away. But then he realised Alan was just trying to compose himself. He waited quietly, and after a moment, Alan turned to face him again.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Sure. It's not quite finished - I was still working on the background."

Virgil pushed the door open and, sure enough, the first thing Alan saw was the easel holding Tin-Tin's portrait. He drew in a sharp breath then moved towards it until he was standing directly in front of it, staring into the face of the girl he loved. Virgil stayed by the door, watching his brother closely.

It was a while before Alan spoke.

"Virg?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you finish this? I'd like to have it."

"Of course."

Alan finally took a step back and settled into a paint-spattered chair, still gazing at the portrait.

"I'd like to stay here for a while," he said. "You'd better go and tell Grandma we're okay."

Virgil's heart lifted once more at those words. He left his brother and wandered back through the house. But when he got to the lounge, instead of heading out to the pool, he paused, then moved towards his piano. He'd avoided his studio these past few days, knowing the sight of Tin-Tin's portrait would have been too much to bear, but he'd also refrained from playing the piano, too overwhelmed by grief and guilt to allow himself to indulge in something that would have brought him some peace. Now he suddenly felt the need to play and he instinctively chose one of Tin-Tin's favourite pieces.

As the music filled the room and floated out towards the pool, Virgil smiled to himself, knowing his family would have been on tenterhooks ever since they'd realised that he and Alan were finally talking. He had to hand it to his grandmother: not only had she been perceptive enough to recognize that the time was right for the brothers to work things out, but she'd also managed to rein in Scott and their father, who, Virgil knew, would both have been doing their utmost to get away in order to check up on them. He knew that the simple fact that he was playing again would be enough to reassure them that all was well, that he and Alan were reunited and that the family - Kyrano and Brains included - could turn their focus to where it should always have been: on mourning Tin-Tin and trying to adjust to a life without her.


	13. Chapter 13

_The final chapter! Thanks to everyone who's supported me during this story, I appreciate it more than I can say. Whirlgirl, thank you as always for reviewing, I'm sorry I can't reply to you personally. I have to say a really big thank you to Loopstagirl, too, for all the help and feedback, especially with this last chapter._

Epilogue

It was just after sunrise when Alan arrived at the clearing where he and Tin-Tin had spent so much time together. He took his usual seat on the fallen tree trunk, instinctively leaving a space by his side for the girl he loved. Looking down at the single red rose he'd brought, he twisted it between his fingers by the stem as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. Then he began to speak, so softly that the words could barely be heard.

_Hey, Tin-Tin. Happy Birthday. _

_I'm going to visit your grave later with Kyrano and Grandma, but I can't talk to you properly there. I can't feel you there like I can here, either. _

_How has it been ten months? It still hurts as much as it did the day you died. I'm so lonely without you, Tin-Tin, even though the guys are still barely giving me a minute's peace. I bet Scott's looking for me right now. He knows how hard today's going to be..._

_I yelled at Gordon the other day. We were talking about Dad and the way he just shut down after Mom died. I didn't understand how he must have felt until I lost you. I often wonder how things were for them. I guess they must have been good otherwise he would have moved on. I suppose that's why he's never tried to tell me that I'll get over you one day. But Gordon did. He told me that I shouldn't be alone forever, that you wouldn't want that. He meant well, I guess, but I didn't see it that way at the time. I told him he didn't understand, that he'd never really been in love so how could he know what it was like. But then I recalled something you once said._

_Do you remember when International Rescue first started? I'd almost got myself killed trying to save some kid from a burning building. We came up here when I got back and I asked you what you'd have done if I'd died. I wanted you to say that you'd mourn me forever, that you'd never look at another guy, but you thought for a bit then said that you'd grieve for me, but you wouldn't want to be alone and unhappy forever - and that I shouldn't want you to live like that. You told me that if something happened to you I should move on, too. I got mad, remember? I don't think I spoke to you for a week after that. But you were always honest with me, that's one of the things I loved about you, even if it did drive me crazy when you didn't say what I wanted to hear._

_I can't move on, though. I miss you, Tin-Tin. I don't want anyone else. Ironic, isn't it - when you were alive the thought of marriage and kids terrified me and now, I'd do anything to have all that. But with you. Only with you..._

_God, this is depressing, isn't it. Birthdays are supposed to be happy. Let me think, what else can I tell you?_

_Grandma's feeling better. That operation seems to have done the trick. She tells us off for fussing over her, but you can tell she loves it really. I don't know what we'd have done without her. Imagine it, Tin-Tin, just us guys alone on the island._

_Brains and I have been trying to decide who to give the engineering scholarship to, the one Dad set up in your name. It's been good to spend some time with him. He kept his distance from me after you died. I think he always had a bit of a thing for you - he never thought I treated you too well, did he? Well, he was probably right. But this project has brought us together again. I think you'd like the girl we chose. Brains certainly does - he blushes when he talks about her. She's nothing like you - really plain and serious - but she's going to be a great engineer._

_Maybe one day she'll be part of IR. Dad's abandoned the plan of a new base for now, you know. After you died no one wanted to leave the island and we didn't want to bring anyone new in. It wouldn't have been much fun for them anyway, not with everyone grieving over you. But that Atlantic island's going to be set up for the 'birds. The idea is that if there's trouble brewing on that side of the world, we can fly out in advance and be ready to respond as soon as we're needed. _

_John comes down from Five next week. Brains is taking the next rotation so the five of us are going off to the mainland. I just hope it goes better than the last time. That poor girl who made a move on me... When she asked me if I had a girlfriend and I told her yes - and that she was dead, she couldn't run away fast enough. I ended up ruining the night for everyone. Not this time, though. We need a break and a good night out - especially Scott._

_We were all hoping it wouldn't happen, but Penny's getting married next month. You don't know how much I wish I'd never said what I did about her and Scott. Well, you do, I guess, I've told you often enough. I tried to apologise to her but you know Penny, she was very polite and gracious but I know she didn't really forgive me. I ruined things for her and Scott, didn't I? I tried to make it right. I told Grandma about it - I left out the bit about them sleeping together, but the moment Grandma asked Scott about Penny he thought I'd dropped him in it. Grandma's face when he told her it was none of her business who he slept with... All that effort to keep it from her and Scott goes and tells her himself. It wasn't funny though. But not even Grandma could persuade him to talk to Penny. Virg tried but Scott got really mad at him. We've all given up now - he's just too sensitive where Penny's concerned. We can hardly talk to her about it, either. You could have got through to them, I know - but then if you were still here, things would never have turned out the way they did, would they? _

_I still can't believe Penny's marrying this Simon guy. I know Scott insisted she wanted to be with him, but I can't imagine why. I guess I'm biased, but what's he got that Scott hasn't - except a title? Maybe if Dad hadn't told Penny about that ex-girlfriend Scott had started seeing again, things would have been different. John was there at the time and he reckons Penny was really upset. She hid it well, of course, but it wasn't long after that that she told us she was getting married._

_No one thinks it will last. This guy is nice enough, apparently - Virg met him when Penny invited him to some concert in London. He says he's obviously mad about Penny, but he doesn't even know what she does for a living, not the IR part, anyway. How is it going to work? Even Parker's not convinced, but he's too loyal to Penny to say much._

_I made such a mess of it all, didn't I?_

_I messed up a lot of things. I wish I'd made you happier when we were together. I guess I didn't really understand how relationships were supposed to work. I'd never actually witnessed one, though, had I? I never saw Dad and Mom together and Grandpa died long before I was born. Maybe if things had been different I'd have had a better idea of how to behave. I'm sorry. I wasn't the easiest person to be with, was I? I only ever wanted you to be happy, but I was spoilt and selfish. That's the trouble with being the youngest, I guess._

_I've changed though. I really have. I've even taken my full shifts up on Five. Well, I've got no reason to cut them short now, have I? I've grown up, Tin-Tin. I just wish it hadn't taken you dying to make it happen..._

He checked his watch and got to his feet, leaving the rose behind.

_I love you, Tin-Tin. I wish I could stay longer but I promised Brains I'd help him with his experiment before I go to Malaysia. I can't let him down. Then there are the repairs to Firefly. Virg can't handle them alone._

_Listen to me, worrying about work. That never used to happen, did it? I guess this is the new, mature Alan Tracy. I wish you'd had the chance to meet him._

_I think you'd like him._


End file.
